Now until forever
by fairy666tale
Summary: Sequel to "A return to the sea" After Lucille got badly injured, Kohaku will have to be the one to take care of the singer. Less angst, more fluff than the last story. LuciKoha, will be yaoi eventually
1. Intro

SEQUEL TO "A RETURN TO THE SEA" This makes no sense unless you've read that one already.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters.

Please R&R^^

**Yay, chapter one of the sequel! Lucille won't be conscious in the first part, but after that there'll be a lot of fluff (otherwise I'd keep feeling guilty about doing this to him T-T ) **

**This chapter is more of a summary, though. Next one will really start the story.**

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The first few days and nights felt like some horrible nightmare to Kohaku. Both days and nights, he sat at Lucille's bedside, only holding that limp hand, staring at that beautiful face and those closed eyes. Wishing constantly for those eyes to open, to look back at him. Wishing, begging, for the singer to wake up and tell him he wouldn't leave him. Still, there was nowhere he'd rather be than at Lucille's side, touching him and seeing him. Because that was the closest he could get.

After some days, the blonde got strong enough to breathe on his own strength, though he still didn't show any signs of awakening. From that moment on, Kohaku kissed him onto his lips every now and then, hoping that such an intimate touch would get through to Lucille.

Weeks past like it was just a bad dream, though Eles came to bring some news from the outside world every day. For starters, Gwindel had been forced by the queen's court to temporarily join another orchestra, while Eles had found a job as a waitress in a nearby village, which paid pretty good. Still, Kohaku only heard it, remembered it, but couldn't feel any other emotion than the immense worry for Lucille.

After some more than a month, all injuries had been healed, meaning the singer was finally allowed to leave the hospital. With his spare money, Kohaku rented a small, one storey house just outside of the village where Eles had found a job, and took him there. In a small room with a two-sized bed, there was just enough space to put some medical equipment, since the singer couldn't eat or drink by himself. The only other bedroom was for Eles' uses, and there was a small kitchen which also formed the living-room. Well, at least there was a bathroom with toilet, and more wasn't really needed. Most of the day, Eles wasn't at home, and Kohaku spend most of his time taking care of Lucille.

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**The real story will begin next week^^**

**(And yes, I wanted Gwin gone, and Eles away from the house as often as possible. She's one of my favorite manga characters, but she just wouldn't have any use here. And Gwindel… if you've read the newest chapters of the manga, you know why I don't like him.)**


	2. Wouldn't want to miss you

SEQUEL TO "A RETURN TO THE SEA" This makes no sense unless you've read that one already.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters.

Please R&R^^

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Slowly, Kohaku woke up, realizing he wasn't sitting up in a chair, leaning against an hospital bed. In a flash, he woke up completely, remembering he had Lucille at home right now. Well, 'home'… This also was his first day in this small house. Opening his eyes, he saw the frail blonde lying next to him, completely unmoving, only breathing softly. The people at the hospital had asked him if he didn't think of it as scary to sleep in one bed with a person in a coma. That had just earned them a glare and the short explanation that Lucille still was the person he'd love for the rest of his life. Besides, it wasn't like there was any space here to have three bedrooms, and he certainly wasn't considering sharing a bed with Eles.

Letting out a sigh, he felt at Lucille's forehead. The doctor had warned him to watch out in case Lucille got a fever, due to moving him. Right now, his temperature felt normal, which Kohaku was thankful for. "Good morning," he mumbled, before giving the singer a soft and careful kiss onto his lips. No response, unsurprisingly, but it felt right to talk and touch him normally. If he'd notice anything of it, then maybe it would comfort him a bit.

"I'm gonna eat some breakfast, okay? I'll brush your hair after that." Before he was allowed to take Lucille home, the doctor insisted on letting him take care of the singer, those last few days that he'd been in the hospital. Maintaining the medical stuff was pretty awkward, but it was nice to have to redress and watch the singer. Okay, he'd rather do that with the blonde actually being awake, but at least if he did it, no one else would touch Lucille like that.

In the kitchen, also used as living-room, he ate some bread with peanut-butter. There wasn't much food in the house, since it had to be paid from Eles' paycheck, but it was enough to live by. The girl had already gone working, so he didn't spend more time than necessary, and within minutes he was back at Lucille's side.

"Lucille?" he said, grabbing a hairbrush. "I'm gonna brush your hair now, okay?" Gently, he brushed the silky blonde strands, getting no reaction from the singer, but knowing Lucille would have been enjoying it if he were awake. "I'd wish you'd wake up," Kohaku told him softly. "I want to hear you talking so badly, to see you smile again, just… everything." He sighed. "I really hope you're able to hear me now. I mean, I don't want you to be scared in any way."

Being done with the hairbrush, he threw it back into a big suitcase in the corner. Having no space for closets, that seemed to be the best way of keeping stuff. "So, be prepared for feeling awkward now." Carefully, and unable to look Lucille in the face, he exchanges some tubes and other stuff, so the medical things would keep working. It took him less than an hour, but still he hated to do this. It seemed like invading Lucille's privacy, for some reason. It only had to be done twice a day, and the only reason he did it was so there wouldn't be a nurse around. That'd just get annoying, and he'd probably get used to doing this himself sooner. Though he'd rather have Lucille awake soon, so he wouldn't have to get used to this at all.

"Done," he mumbled. "You better appreciate what I'm willing to do for you." Tenderly, he stroked Lucille's pale cheek. "To be honest, though… I'd do way stuff way more embarrassing for you, if I'd help you with it."

No reply, but it didn't matter. Kohaku knew how Lucille would have responded if he were awake, and he acted on that. Carefully wrapping his arms around the singer's thin shoulders, he just sat there for a while, leaning over his beloved one and feeling him breathing. Lucille's pale skin was soft and comfortably warm against his own, and Kohaku gently rubbed his cheek against the singer's. "You're so…" Letting out a sigh, he wondered what he could add to that. "Geez, you're just so completely… you." He chuckled. "And yes, that was meant to be a complement."

Lucille's breathing just kept going on steadily, not acknowledging Kohaku's presence at all. Letting out a sigh, Kohaku held him for a little while longer, and then left the room to do some chores around the house. After that, it was time for lunch, and then he went back to Lucille. Not much else to do here, and he didn't like leaving the blonde alone for too long. Sitting down at the blonde's bed, he heard his breath hitch faintly. "Lucille?"

No response, but the singers eyes moved weakly behind his closed eyelids. Carefully, Kohaku shook him, but again with no effect. "Are you… dreaming?" he asked disappointed. The doctor had told him that was possible. "I guess you are." Remembering the nightmares Lucille had gotten when they were on the ship, he took the blonde's slender hand into his. "Then… please have nice dreams." There was no evidence that the singer even heard him, but whatever he could do to make him feel better, he would do it. Hoping to have at least some effect on Lucille's dream, he stared caressing the blonde's hair with his free hand. If he tried to make Lucille feel comfortable, then maybe his dreams would be nicer too.

"I'm wondering, though, will you remember any of these dreams when you wake up?" He was careful to always say 'when', and never 'if'. No matter what, Lucille had to wake up again. "Not that I'm curious about what you're dreaming. Okay, maybe a little." In fact, he hoped a bit that Lucille was dreaming about him. Not that he'd ever tell the singer that. After some minutes, Lucille sighed faintly and mumbled something incoherent. He didn't seem like he was waking up, but at least Kohaku had heard the blonde's voice for a moment.

Some more times that afternoon, the blonde sighed, or mumbled something. Kohaku almost felt glad, though, that when it was time to maintain the medical stuff and change some tubes, Lucille seemed to be completely out of it again. It would have been kind of awkward to work with certain parts while the singer was making sounds. By the time Kohaku was done, Eles came home and they made dinner together.

"How is he?" she asked worriedly. "No fever?"

"No, he's dreaming," Kohaku told her, chewing at some meat. "He's mumbling a bit, but it's not clear enough to be understandable."

"Can't that be a sign that he's starting to wake up?" she replied hopefully.

"Maybe," Kohaku nodded. "At least his brains are functioning, so he might wake soon. I really hope he does." Both her and Gwindel had seen him crying his heart out at Lucille's bedside, back in the hospital, so there was no need any more to try and hide the fact that he cared about the beautiful singer.

"Yeah, me to." Letting out a sigh, she poked in a piece of potato with her fork. "Well, at least work is fun. And my boss said that I can always take a day off from work if you need some help. He's really nice. A bit too nice, really. Some of the other workers don't even listen to him."

"Then why is he the boss?" If the guy had so little self-confidence, Kohaku didn't understand why anyone would hire him for that.

"Because he's the owner of the lunchroom," Eles replied dryly. "He's really young though, but he inherited the business from his father."

"Well, if he's nice, then that's all that matters to you, right?"

"Yeah." She smiled. "And… well, he's kinda cute too."

That was just a little bit too much information. "Yeah… I guess that helps too. Eh, either way, since we're both done eating, let's go do the dishes."

To judge by her soft chuckle, she noticed his attempt to change the subject, but luckily she didn't say anything about it. When the dishes were done, she went to take a shower while Kohaku carefully changed Lucille's clothes. It wasn't like they got dirty or anything, since the singer didn't move all day long, but it just seemed like something Lucille would like him to do. Besides, he only wore a thin T-shirt and a pair of shorts, so it wasn't like it took much time.

Just when he was done, and pulled the bed-sheets back over Lucille's thin body, the singer sighed deeply. "Lucille? You felt that?" No response, unsurprisingly. "I guess you did. Or you just felt like letting out a sigh." Whatever the reason had been, Lucille didn't do anything else, so Kohaku just gave him a soft and gentle kiss on his lips and then stood up. "I'll be back later, okay?" Then, he walked out of the room and back into the living room.

Eles was already there, her hair still wet from the shower. "Hey, I was thinking, since we can't do our real job as long as Lucille is… sleeping, we should practice our music. I mean, we got the car right beside the house."

He had to admit, that wasn't such a bad idea. "But then Lucille will be alone in the house."

"Can't we carry the piano out, and into the living room?"

"I'm not sure if it'll fit through the door, but we could try. Come on." Though it was a small fit, the piano did go through the door without touching the doorpost. After he had gotten his violin too, they practiced their songs for a while, though it didn't sound nearly as amazing as when Lucille was singing. After a little more than an hour, it started raining though, almost overpowering the sound of their music.

By the time they went to bed, the rain had turned into a complete thunderstorm, and Kohaku noticed Lucille's breathing sounding a bit more labored than it had been earlier. "You scared?" After undressing and laying down underneath the warm covers, he gently wrapped his arms around Lucille's shoulders, pulling him close against his body. "I'm here, so there's no need to feel scared, okay?" A soft but shaky sigh was his only reply he got, but he felt the singer twitch a little when another thunderstruck sounded. "Lucille?"

"Nng…" That small moan came out almost inaudibly, but Kohaku immediately sat up and lit up the nightlight above their bed. The singer's breath came slightly irregular, and his beautiful face was a bit tense. Worriedly, Kohaku took his hand. His heart almost missed a beat when he felt Lucille's fingers folding around his hand, weakly holding on to it.

"Lucille? Oi, are you awake? Lucille, please!" Wanting him to wake up so badly, he had trouble forcing himself to keep his voice down. If Lucille would wake up, it might be better to let him rest for a while before asking him anything, and having Eles here now would be too busy. "Lucille… I love you. Please open your eyes."

"Ouch…" His face tensed in pain for a moment, then suddenly he went limp. Just when Kohaku lost hope again, the beautiful singer slowly opened his eyes, staring at the ceiling with a somewhat glazed look.

"Lucille?" Kohaku asked, his voice trembling.

"K…Koha…ku?" the singer whispered, blinking slowly before looking at him. "W-why… are you… crying?"

He was? Indeed, he suddenly felt the tears running from his cheeks. "Lucille… are you okay?"

"Mmh… My entire body hurts, but at least I'm alive." He let out a shaky sigh. "D-didn't… that bullet hit me? Where are we?"

"Not now, I'll tell you everything tomorrow morning," Kohaku promised, lying back down and hugging Lucille as tightly as he could without hurting him. "For now, just rest. You've been through a lot, your body needs it."

"Will you keep holding me?" Lucille asked, his voice still not louder than a faint whisper.

"No way in Hell that I'll ever let go of you again," Kohaku promised. "Well, only for a moment, to turn off the light." That made Lucille smile, and when the lights were off and he laid back down, he felt the singer cuddling against him. Even though the movement was almost scarily weak, it still felt great to have the singer responding to him again. Feeling fresh tears running down his cheeks, he kissed him carefully onto his cheek. "I love you so much," he then whispered in the singer's ear.

It actually earned him a soft shiver. "I love you too." Kissing him back seemed to be too much of a task, but Lucille did manage to move his lips faintly over Kohaku's skin. "Goodnight."

The thunderstorm hadn't ended yet, and the sound was loud enough to get even Kohaku a bit nervous. "You're not scared?"

"I barely remember what happened, I have no idea where I am, and my body hurts like t-there are tubes sticking out of rather uncomfortable places. So thunder w-would be the least of my worries right now." A deep, trembling sigh. "But… as long as you're holding me… I'm safe."

"I promise I'll tell you everything tomorrow," Kohaku whispered.

"Goodnight then." Within moments, Lucille's body went limp again. Still, it felt different now. Less lifeless. More warm and soft. Letting out a sigh, Kohaku buried his face in the singer's silky hair, and enjoyed the warmth of this beloved one lying so close against him. It was obvious how weak Lucille still was, but at least he had woken up. And better, he didn't seem like he had any brain damage. His memory was fine, he wasn't paralyzed or anything. Still, he'd have to call the doctor tomorrow morning, to have the singer checked out.

Yawning, he snuggled against his beloved one. Well, those were things to worry about in the morning. Right now, he just wanted to have a night of sleep with the singer, having him in his arms and feeling Lucille's soft breaths against his skin. "Mmh… love you…" he managed to whisper, just before drifting off to sleep.

"Mmf…" Letting out a deep sigh, he woke up, feeling a warm and soft body lying against him. Immediately, he remembered last night. "Lucille?" he whispered, not knowing for sure if it hadn't been just a dream. His eyes shot open when he felt someone softly caressing his cheek. "Lucille!"

The singer smiled weakly at him, his big blue eyes still a bit hazy. "Good morning… Kohaku."

"Good morning. How are you feeling, are you in any pain, do you need anything?" the dark-haired man quickly asked.

"Eh…" The singer chuckled faintly. "I'm still a little sleepy, one question at a time, please."

"Sorry." Careful not to hurt him, Kohaku pulled him a bit closer. "Are you okay?"

"I guess." A soft sigh. "My body just feels a bit sore and kinda heavy."

"That's no wonder. I'll call a doctor later, to have you checked. Can I do anything to help?"

"No… just hold me, that's enough," the frail blonde replied with a faint smile. "My turn now. What happened after I got shot?"

That was the conversation which Kohaku hadn't been looking forward to. Gently caressing Lucille's back, hoping that it would help him bear the shock, he started telling. "You got hit in your abdomen, and… you passed out soon. But then you stopped b-breathing." He felt the singer tensing in his arms. "Your heart was still beating, so I used mouth to mouth breathing to keep you alive. Then, finally, the queen's army came, along with some paramedics, and they took you to a hospital." He had to stop talking for a moment, fighting off those horrible memories.

"And… then?" Lucille mumbled, his body trembling a little.

"They had you under surgery for hours. You survived, obviously… but due to all the damage, you were in a coma."

"F-for how long?" He was really trembling now.

"A little over a month. You've been released from the hospital for a little more than a day now." Tenderly, he hugged the blonde. "That was why I cried last night. I… I was scared to never see those beautiful eyes of yours again, or your smile, or hear your voice. I was just so terribly scared of losing you," he admitted. "I love you so much."

For a moment, Lucille just stared at him silently, probably trying to process all that information. "You… didn't leave? For more than a month? Without knowing for sure if I wouldn't be a vegetable for the rest of my life?" It wasn't much more than a shaky whisper.

"Lucille… I'd never leave you. No matter what." He swallowed. "And… I kinda hope… that you'd do the same thing for me."

"I would. Of course I would," Lucille replied. "But… where are we now, then?"

"I rented a small house, just outside a village. Eles lives here too, she's taken on a temporary job as a waitress. And Gwin had to temporary join a different orchestra." It wasn't hard to spot the slightly guilty look on Lucille's beautiful face. "Hey, don't worry. All you have to think about now is getting better, and there's no need to rush. I'll be with you all the time, I'd do anything for you."

"Geez… that's quite a lot," Lucille sighed. "About me having been in a coma and stuff, I mean."

"That's exactly why I didn't tell you last night," Kohaku admitted. "You had only just woken up, I was afraid you wouldn't be able to take it. So I thought it would be better if you'd have gotten some sleep first."

Lucille smiled a bit bitterly. "Ironic, really. I've been in a more than deep sleep for over a month, and I'm still tired."

"In case you haven't noticed, your body has been at work constantly, to heal itself. Just try to rest some more, okay? I'll go take a shower now, and then I'll call the doctor."

The frail singer nodded quietly. "Don't stay away for too long, okay?"

"The bathroom is right next door, so you'll be able to hear the shower." A short silence. "But on second thought, I'll call the doctor first. Usually, some tubes and stuff need to be replaced in the morning, but I don't know if those machines are still necessary now that you're awake."

"And it would be kinda awkward to stick stuff in… certain places, while I'm awake," Lucille mumbled, not looking at him.

"I'd be terrified to hurt you, or to make you feel self-conscious," Kohaku admitted, staring at the floor. "Either way, I'll go call now, and then I'll come back to you to tell what he said. Okay?"

"Okay," Lucille mumbled.

When Kohaku got back, after a short conversation with the doctor, the singer laid silently on his back, his beautiful eyes closed. "Lucille?"

"Mmh?" Apparently half asleep, the singer opened his eyes to look at him. "Ah, what did he say?"

It had surprised him a bit that the blonde hadn't fallen back to sleep yet. "Well, he's coming to check up on you in about an hour, and then he'll decide whether you still need those machines or not. And after that, the three of us will have to agree on a loose schedule of how to get you back at full health. For now, however, you should sleep a bit."

"Ah. Well, okay," Lucille mumbled, his eyes dropping shut again. "Wake me up when he's here."

"Will do."

When the doctor finally knocked on the front door, and Kohaku led him to Lucille, the singer woke up as soon as the dark-haired man touched his shoulder. "Mmh… Kohaku?"

"Hey. The doctor's here," his friend told him. "So you'll have to answer some questions."

"Sure." Sleepily, the singer looked at the grey-haired man behind Kohaku.

Carefully, the doctor checked Lucille's body, occasionally asking the blonde if he felt any pain. "Well, your body appears to have healed perfectly. No memory-loss either?"

"No. Well, the part from after I got shot is a bit fuzzy, but apart from that, my memory is fine," Lucille replied.

"That's good. Can you move well enough too? Try to lift up your arms, please."

It took way more effort than it should take, but he managed to fully lift his arms, reaching out for the ceiling. "Good enough?"

"Yes. It seems your body is all right, you only lost a lot of strength due to the injury and the coma. It's going to take at least some weeks to get back to a hundred percent, but I think you should be able to do it."

"So, what does he have to do?" Kohaku finally jumped into the conversation.

"For starters, he's going to have to eat and drink on his own again. Not too much, and you'll have to help him. You'll also going to have to help when he needs to go to the toilet, though," the doctor replied. That last part made Kohaku want to kill him from embarrassment. "Also, no too chewy stuff. This also means that I'll remove the machines, which should make you feel a lot more comfortable." That was directed at Lucille. "For the next two weeks, just keep it to that. No walking, you have to rest as much as possible. In two weeks, I'll come by again, and we'll discuss the improvements."

"Is that gonna hurt? Removing those tubes, I mean," Lucille asked shyly.

"Well, I'm going to give you a slight sedative first," the doctor replied. "It still won't feel comfortable, but I can assure you that it'll be nothing compared by getting hit by a bullet."

"I'll be with you," Kohaku promised the blonde. "You can squeeze my hand as hard as you need to. Doesn't matter if you break it, the doctor's already here."

That succeeded in making a faint smile appear on Lucille's pale face. "Okay. Thanks." He knew he'd barely have enough energy to even remotely hurt Kohaku, but at least it'd distract him a bit. When the doctor removed the tubes, though, the singer couldn't help but to let out a soft whimper of discomfort, holding on tightly at Kohaku's hand. At the distressed sound of Lucille's voice, Kohaku immediately used his free hand to caress his friend's silky hair. The singer had his eyes tightly closed, making it impossible to know what he felt, but Kohaku knew the blonde appreciated him being here.

"You can let him eat a bit this afternoon, at lunch time. Only a few pieces of bread with jelly or something, not even half a slice," the doctor told Kohaku later on, before leaving. "It is important, though, that he drinks enough, so you should let him drink some water every hour. It doesn't have to be a full glass, just a few gulps. And nothing else than plain water, or fresh juice. No milk yet, that's too much of an effort to his intestines."

"Okay, I'll take care of all that," Kohaku nodded. After saying their goodbyes, the doctor left and Kohaku went back to Lucille.

The blonde laid in bed unmoving, but his eyes were half open, staring through the small window. "It's snowing."

"Eh?" He hadn't even noticed that yet. "You like snow?"

Lucille sighed, signaling him with a movement of his arm to sit down on the edge of the bed. "I like playing in the snow, but I also love to just watch it falling… Through a window, when it's warm inside… And when I'm with someone I love."

"Mmh. I mostly just find it cold. But… it's nice to watch it with you." Carefully, Kohaku leaned over him and wrapped his arms around his beloved one, making sure to lean on the bed instead of on the slender body lying underneath him. The thick blankets between him and Lucille were bothering him a little, but he knew that if he'd get underneath the blankets with him, the singer would wake up if he left the bed. And since the blonde looked like he could fall asleep any moment now, Kohaku didn't want to risk waking him up if Lucille could instead sleep a few hours until lunchtime.

"I've been out for a month… so it's already December, right?" Lucille suddenly asked.

"Yup. It'll be Christmas next week," Kohaku replied. "Honestly, I don't care a bit about holidays, but I think Eles is going to insist on getting a decorated tree."

A faint smile. "Hm, I haven't really had a real Christmas since I was a child. Still, we should try to make it fun for Eles. I mean, she's amazing for getting a job to support all three of us, especially since she's so young."

Kohaku nodded. "Yeah. Either way, right now you should be resting. I'll wake you at lunch-time, okay?"

"'Kay," Lucille mumbled, before closing his eyes. Within moments, Kohaku heard the singer's breathing even out. He obviously still felt exhausted, but at least he looked a lot better without all the medical stuff surrounding him. After giving him a gentle, loving kiss onto his lips, Kohaku carefully got off the bed.

Okay, what to do for the next few hours? He could clean up a bit around the house. That certainly wasn't something he liked doing, but Eles had her own job and Lucille still was way too weak to do anything. Meaning he didn't have much of a choice. He stared at the unmoving blonde for a moment, not really wanting to leave the room. Then, he let out a sigh and turned around, walking out of the bedroom.

When it was finally time for lunch, he carefully woke Lucille. "Mmh?" Sleepily, the singer opened his eyes a bit. "What?"

"It's lunch-time," Kohaku told him. "Can you sit up if I help you?"

"Duh." Okay, his mood wasn't terrific after being woken while he was still tired.

"I mean, won't it hurt you too much," Kohaku growled.

"I'll be fine." Lucille sighed. "I'm just… I'm sorry." To Kohaku's surprise, and worry. He suddenly saw tears forming in those beautiful big eyes. "I must be such a bother to you. And to Eles."

"What the Hell are you talking about?"

"I've been a freaking vegetable for a month, and now that I'm finally awake I still can't do anything myself," Lucille mumbled, not looking at him. "I mean, even with the best of luck, it'll take weeks before I can even take care of myself again."

"Geez, you really are an idiot!" Kohaku snapped. "If I didn't think you were worth taking care of, if I didn't _like _taking care of you, then don't you think I'd have left you already? Do I seem like the type of person who'd even stick with someone out of pity?" He saw Lucille flinch at the harsh tone of his voice, and immediately felt guilty. "Look," he sighed. "It's only natural that you're annoyed by being so vulnerable and needy. But you shouldn't worry about me or Eles having to take care of you. Geez, you make it sound like we're some kind of terrible beings who'll hate you for needing us. That hurts."

At that, the singer stared up at him in shock. "That… that's not how I meant it."

"But that is what it feels like." He could tell from the blonde's face that he only felt worse. "Look at it this way, if you'd have kept in that coma for ever, I would have spend the rest of your life taking care of a living but unconscious doll. But you woke up. So instead, I get to nurse you back to health, which I don't care how long it takes. I get to be with you all the time, seeing you sleep so cutely, seeing you smile, talking with you… I wouldn't want to miss a moment of it. I wouldn't want to miss a moment… of you." After ending that last line, he gently kissed Lucille's forehead. "So, don't feel guilty. Just make sure you'll get better. Okay?"

"Okay." Lucille smiled faintly. "Thanks. For everything."

Relieved to see the frail blonde smiling, Kohaku sat down on the edge of the bed, and helped the singer sitting up. "So, let's get some food into you."

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**So, the mood of this fic is definitely more fluffy than the last one. But it is fun to write :3 I hope it's also fun to read it ;)**

**I'll update soon^^**


	3. Bedtime story

SEQUEL TO "A RETURN TO THE SEA" This makes no sense unless you've read that one already.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters.

Please R&R^^

**Ever seen the movie 'Deadtime stories'? The soundtrack of that movie gave me the idea for the end scene of this chapter ;) **

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Having the singer leaning against him, Kohaku's arm around his small shoulders being the only thing that kept him sitting up, the dark-haired man couldn't help but to feel how terribly thin Lucille was. No wonder, after being unconscious for a month, not being able to eat normally. Still it worried him, and it was tempting to stuff him up with as much food as possible. Still, he knew that would do more bad that good, considering the fact that the singer's intestines would have to do real work again, for the first time since he got shot. Better to start with only a little food, just like the doctor had ordered.

"What's on it?" Lucille asked, his voice a bit airless from the effort of sitting up. If he were in any pain, he didn't let it show.

"Strawberry jam," Kohaku replied, noticing how tensed up the singer's body was. "Are you hurting anywhere?"

"No. Just… sore," Lucille replied. "No wonder, after lying down for so long."

"Hm. If you can't sit any longer, say so." A short silence. "Eh, are you able of lifting up your arms?"

"Barely," the singer sighed, and looked away awkwardly.

"Then I'll have to feed you." Lucille stared at him almost surprised, but did open his mouth when Kohaku fed him a small piece of bread. "Don't choke on it, okay?" He didn't, and after nearly ten minutes, he had eaten three pieces of bread and drank some water. It went slow, though, and the singer seemed reluctant every time he swallowed. "Does your throat hurt?"

"A little," Lucille admitted. "It feels a bit raw, but the water is helping." He lifted up his hands a bit, folding them over Kohaku's hand that was holding the glass. With a weak movement, he hinted the dark-haired man to lower the glass. "Can… can you hold me for a while? I'm a bit cold."

"Okay. I'll put the water on the nightstand, if you want to drink some more, just tell." The singer's hands dropped back down onto his lap, allowing Kohaku to put down the glass. "You wanna lie down?"

Faintly, Lucille shook his head. "That makes me feel so… Well, kinda weak. I mean, I know I am, but when I sit up I feel a little bit better. Besides, I don't wanna sleep."

"But…"

"The doctor said I should rest. Well, I am resting, right?"

Reluctantly, Kohaku agreed. "True. But don't force yourself to stay awake."

The singer merely smiled, weakly snuggling closer against Kohaku. He was trembling a little, probably from the cold, so the violinist gently wrapped both his arms around the blonde's thin frame and pulled him onto his lap. In response, Lucille moved his head up a little, so it was resting against Kohaku's neck, his silky hair touching the taller man's chin.

He felt so tired, he could easily have fallen back to sleep, but right now he just wanted to rest in his beloved one's strong arms. Though he wouldn't have minded to talk a bit, it was nice enough to listen and feel Kohaku's calm, deep breathing. The dark-haired man was leaning his back against the wall behind the bed, his head resting on top of Lucille's, and the singer was pretty sure he was close to falling asleep himself. Another reason why he didn't want to lie down. Because then, Kohaku would go back to doing pointless chores to keep himself busy, even though he was clearly exhausted from all the stress he had been through.

But if Lucille would tell him to rest a bit, he'd definitely claim that he wasn't tired at all. So this was way more convenient, since now Kohaku would have no other choice than to keep sitting like this, practically trapped by Lucille's body since he wouldn't want to unnecessarily move the singer.

Suddenly, Kohaku let out a sigh and wrapped his arms a bit tighter around Lucille's chest. "Geez, sitting here like this is making me sleepy."

Lucille couldn't repress a soft chuckle. "Good. Then you're even nicer to lean against."

"Tch." Kohaku yawned. "You're supposed to rest, not to make annoying remarks."

"Mmh, but I am resting. I'm not moving, am I?" Lucille remarked.

"No, but you've been through a lot. So your mind also needs to heal."

Okay, he had a point there. "But still, I think it'll heal better if I talk, instead of sleep all the time." Either way, if they'd keep talking, Kohaku would never go to sleep. So when the dark-haired man didn't respond, the singer didn't talk on either. In the silence of their room, their bodies warmly against each other's, Lucille felt himself drifting off to sleep. Almost unable to keep his eyes open, he looked behind, at Kohaku. A relieved smile crept over his face when he saw his friend deep asleep.

Letting out a deep sigh, he relaxed again, his eyes sliding shut automatically. It didn't take long until he drifted off too.

"Mmh…" A bit surprised, Kohaku opened his eyes. Had he fallen asleep? No way. Still, when he looked out of the window, he saw it was already getting a bit dark. Geez, apparently his body had needed it, even though his mind refused to acknowledge that fact. And it also explained why Lucille had suddenly turned so quiet. That moron had just wanted him to fall asleep. Which, he realized that, was entirely well meant.

"Lucille?" No response, other than a soft sigh. "Lucille, you were supposed to drink some water every hour!" Carefully, he shook the singer's small body.

"Eh? What?" Lucille mumbled sleepily.

"You gotta drink some water." Gently, he helped his friend drink a bit. "On to other matters, what would you like for dinner?"

"'M tired. Don't wanna eat," Lucille groaned, trembling a little. The coldness of the room was probably getting to him.

"You don't have to eat much, just a few bites," Kohaku replied. "That's why I'm asking you what you want to eat. It'll probably be easier when it's something you like."

"But my throat hurts," the singer complained.

The violinist sighed. "I'll see if we have any pills against that. But either way, you have to eat."

"Pancakes."

"Eh?"

Lucille sighed tiredly. "I'd like pancakes. With syrup, please."

Something sweet, of course. Well, at least he would eat something, and this would be his first dinner in a month. "Okay, but tomorrow you'll have to eat something nutritious." The blonde only sighed in response. "I'll lay you down now, okay?"

"Mmh… ngg!" The singer's body stiffened suddenly when Kohaku carefully tried to lower him back onto the mattress. "Stop… ouch…"

"What's wrong?" Alarmed, Kohaku stopped moving, staring at Lucille's tensed up face.

"T-the scar… from the bullet wound… It stings."

Crap, he should have known that. "Just relax." As gently as he could, he hooked his free arm underneath Lucille's knees and lifted him off the bed. Then he carefully moved him a bit to the front, so his head wouldn't hit the wall, and laid him back down. "Are you okay now?"

"Yeah." The singer gave him a somewhat shaky, but true, smile. "I guess I shouldn't put too much pressure onto my abdomen. Moving it really hurt when I tried to use my muscles around that spot."

"Geez." Almost automatically, he leaned down and kissed the slim singer. He tasted a bit sweaty, probably from the sudden sting of pain he had experienced. But aside from that, he tasted just as sweet and yet fresh as ever. Unable fight off the urge to touch him just a little bit longer, he then gently nibbled at Lucille's neck, earning a soft moan. It was the right kind, though, not the pained kind. "So, did that distract you a bit?"

A deep sigh. "Definitely." His cheeks reddened a bit. "Eh… Kohaku?"

"Yeah?"

"Does… does that one appointment still stand? About us… you know," he mumbled, eyes half closed and not looking at him.

"If you want it to, it does," Kohaku replied, a bit unsure. Had the blonde changed his mind?

"I do. But… I just need to know that I can still count on you, even when all will be as usual again."

"Duh, of course you can. But I won't do anything like that, as long as you're still so weak. Geez, I'd forever be scared of touching you if I'd really hurt you." Let alone if Lucille would faint or anything.

"I know." The blonde smiled happily. "If I wouldn't trust you about such things, I wouldn't even want to do… 'it' with you."

After returning that smile, Kohaku left the room to bake some pancakes. Hopefully the singer would stay awake until he got back, if he'd fall back to sleep now it probably wouldn't do too much good for his appetite. Six pancakes later, three for himself, two for Eles, who had just came home, and one for Lucille, he walked back to the bedroom. "You still awake?" he asked softly, not wanting to scare the singer if he actually were asleep.

"Mmh…" Lucille groaned softly, opening his eyes. "Ah, sorry. I almost fell asleep."

"Don't worry about it," Kohaku grinned. "Is it okay with you if Eles eats her dinner here too?"

"Sure." A short silence. "Just… I'd rather not have her here when I have to lay back down. I mean, it'll probably go better this time, but I don't want to make her worry too much about me."

"Okay." That was understandable.

"Eh, can I come in?" Eles soft voice sounded from the doorway.

"Yeah," Lucille replied, giving her a bright smile.

The girl immediately ran to him and gave him a hug. "I'm so glad you're awake! If I'd have known this morning, I wouldn't have gone to work, sorry."

"Don't worry about it. I feel better now than I did this morning, so you'd have been too concerned about me," Lucille told her gently. "I don't want to worry you."

Eles only hugged him a bit tighter, before finally letting go of him. After Kohaku had put their plates down on the nightstand and had helped Lucille sitting up, she sat down on the bed, on his other side. Kohaku gave her a plate with two pancakes, and then put down Lucille's plate on the singer's lap. "See, you're already strong enough to hold your own plate."

That succeeding in making Lucille laugh softly. "Now that's positive thinking."

Carefully, Kohaku fed him almost half of the pancake, before the singer decided he had enough. He kept sitting comfortably against Kohaku, though, when the violinist finally ate his own dinner. His pancakes were cold already, but right now it was more important to make sure Lucille ate as much as possible. The singer felt so thin and weak, which was logical considering the situation, but it still worried Kohaku. Right now he was even shivering.

"Lucille? Are you cold?" he asked softly.

"A b-bit. It's colder here at n-night, I guess," the small blonde mumbled, his eyes half closed. "And I'm tired."

"Shall I lay you back down?" Kohaku offered.

"Mmh…" Lucille only snuggled closer to him, and then closed his eyes. "I'm more comfortable like this. With you to lean against."

Kohaku felt himself blushing a bit. "Well, okay then. But if you want to lie down, please don't hesitate to say so."

"You know I won't. If my body gets too sore, I'll tell you." Letting out a sigh, he relaxed completely. Almost immediately he drifted off in Kohaku's arms. His long eyelashes were stirring slightly, which probably meant that he was dreaming. Well, hopefully it'd be a nice dream this time.

"Shouldn't you lay him down now?" Eles asked softly, looking worriedly at Lucille.

"No, he'll wake up if I move him now," Kohaku replied just as softly, not to disturb the sleeping singer. "Better to just leave him like this for a while."

"I'll do the dishes, then," Eles offered. "Can I come back to sit here again after that?"

"Sure, but don't go to bed too late." He realized how family-like that sounded, but somehow it didn't annoy him even a bit.

Eles seemed happy about it, practically hopping out of the room with the three empty plates. It was kind of fun how easy it was to make her happy. Well, he would have let her sit with Lucille anyway, especially since this was the first evening she had seen him since he woke up from his coma. Kohaku hadn't want to wake her last night, when Lucille had woken up, and by the time they had woken up this morning, Eles had already left for work.

"Hmm…" With a soft moan, Lucille opened his eyes a bit.

"Sorry, did I woke you?" Kohaku asked somewhat guiltily.

"Nah. Don't know why I woke up," the singer mumbled exhaustedly.

"Well… then… How would I be able to help?"

"Dunno." A short silence. "You could tell me a story. It'll be a while until I'll be able to read again."

"We don't have any books."

"Don't you have imagination?" Almost without stirring, Lucille glanced up at him, from the corners of his eyes. It looked a bit evil, but through his thick and long eyelashes it almost became cute.

"Okay, you win…" Kohaku chuckled. "But stop looking at me like that, it creeps me out!"

"Then tell me a story?" Lucille asked begging.

"Okay, but then you have to lay down."

"If you lay down with me."

"Eles will be back soon," Kohaku warned him.

"Then she can listen too," the small blonde decided. Letting out an amused sigh, Kohaku stood up and then carefully laid the singer down onto the bed. "Come underneath the blanket," Lucille mumbled. Kohaku only nodded and laid down, pulling the covers over both their bodies. Immediately, the singer snuggled against him.

"Eh… maybe I shouldn't…" Eles voice suddenly sounded from the doorway, a bit unsure.

"There's enough room in this bed," Lucille interrupted her softly. "Kohaku promised to tell a story."

"Am I not… intruding?" she asked shyly.

"You aren't," Kohaku comforted her. "But you still have to get to bed on time."

"You're starting to sound like my dad," Eles grinned, then went quiet quickly. "S-sorry."

"Geez, I don't bite," Kohaku growled. "Now get in bed, then I can embarrass myself by not being a worthless story-teller."

Eles ran to the other side of the bed, kicked her shoes out and crawled underneath the blankets. Lying closely against Lucille, she looked over the singer's chest at Kohaku. "You're making this up right now?"

"Yup. Never had bedtime storied being read to me, so I'll have too." A short silence while he and Eles both wrapped one of their arms around Lucille's chest. "So… any suggestions?"

"Mmh… just… something. I dunno," Lucille mumbled.

"Maybe a fairytale-like thingy?" Eles suggested.

"Okay… well…" He felt Lucille letting out a deep sigh, moving his head to rest it against Kohaku's. "Well… one day, there was a… prince. He was really pretty, and cute and stuff… Long blonde hair and crystal-like eyes." Lucille chuckled almost inaudibly. "Well, he had a mean stepmother who threw him out on the streets. Actually, they lived in a huge forest, so she threw him out on the ground… grass… mud… Well, outside anyway."

"We get the idea," Eles grinned.

"Tch… Well then he had, the prince I mean, he had to go… somewhere. It was raining, so his hair and clothes were wet, and his clothes were really thin and pretty. So they got all transparent and were sticking to his body, which made him look sexy." Which made Lucille kick him softly against his leg, but with a smile on his face. "Anyhow, he ran off into the forest to seek shelter, mostly because that bitch… I mean his stepmom, sent her mean big dogs after him. So he ran, and the dogs almost bit him in his pretty ass…" Another weak kick against his leg. "So he climbed in a tree. Where he met a small forest fairy, with short brown hair and huge green eyes. So she told him to go deeper into the forest, to the nearest house, otherwise he'd die."

"How nice," Lucille grinned softly.

"Either way, those bastard dogs were still underneath that tree, so the forest fairy made the tree kick their asses with his lower branches. Then the price climbed out and started running again. The rain had gotten heavier, and by the time he saw a small cottage among the trees, he was all shivering and cold. So without using his brains, he knocked on the door. It opened, all creaking and stuff. And the cute price was stupid enough to walk in, and yelled 'hello'. Big surprise, there came no response. Then the door suddenly feel shut behind him, and he couldn't get out. So he finally realized that this cottage wasn't anywhere near the one that fairy had told him about. Instead, it was some mean trap by his stepmom."

"Why did she throw him out in the first place?" Eles asked.

"Because… Because he was prettier than her, and she was jealous. Either way, that cottage started to collapse, and he got hit in the head by some brick, knocking him out. When he came to, the forest fairy was leaning over him and gave him a map of where the real cottage was, since he obviously wasn't smart enough to find it without one. So she went back doing her fairy-thingies, and he ran on. So finally, he got to the right cottage, all shivering. This time, he knocked on the door and waited until a real person actually opened it. It happened to be the most handsome dark-haired hunter of the entire kingdom."

"Cough… big ego… cough," Lucille chuckled.

"Well, he was! Anyway, the prince collapsed from exhaustion, so the hunter didn't have much other choices than to carry him inside and wrapping him in a blanket. After some hours, the cute price finally woke up and looked at him. The hunter didn't really know what to do, so he just asked what the Hell the prince was doing here in the middle of a rainstorm. Seeking shelter, yes he should have seen that reply coming. So why wasn't he at home? The prince's reply was a bit vague, but he told the hunter that his bitchy stepmom had kicked him out for being too pretty. So the hunter carried the prince back to the castle and shot that bitch, making the prince into the king. The old king had been dead for a while, by the way. So the prince really liked that, and married the hunter, and they lived happily ever after."

"What about the forest-fairy?" Eles asked.

"She found herself a nice squirrel and turned him into a man, so she was happy too. Even got assigned as maid in the castle, so they were all happy."

Lucille laughed softly. "That was funny." He yawned. "You gotta work on your style, though. And… well, on everything, really."

"Tch, well next time…" he growled. A short silence, in which Lucille let out another soft yawn. "Hey… I've been wanting to ask you, but… Well, do you remember anything you dreamt while you were in that coma?"

"Mmh… not really," the singer mumbled. "It was all really fuzzy, like I was asleep… but not really asleep. But it's just an overall feeling, no real memories. But… it also feels nostalgic, so it was probably about my childhood." A faint sigh. "To be honest, I'm not too sure whether I'd like to remember. I'd rather just concentrate on now."

Unsure about how to respond, Kohaku gave him a loving kiss onto his cheek. "Whatever you dreamt, I'm glad you woke up from it."

Lucille gave him a sleepy smile. "Me too."

* * *

**Will update in a week^^**


	4. You've changed

SEQUEL TO "A RETURN TO THE SEA" This makes no sense unless you've read that one already.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters.

Please R&R^^

* * *

A soft kick against his leg. Letting out a groan, Kohaku moved away a little, not wanting to wake up completely. Geez, he felt so tired. What time was it anyway? Trying not to think about anything anymore, he buried himself deeper underneath the blankets. Just when he started to drift back to sleep, a weak tug at his hair made him startle awake. "What?"

"K-Kohaku?" Lucille's soft voice was trembling a little. "I don't… don't feel so good."

Immediately, he was wide awake, sitting up while checking out the singer. Even in the darkness of the room, he seemed a bit paler than usual. "What's wrong? Does the scar hurt?"

"No… just feeling a little bit nauseous." His eyes were tightly closed. "Maybe because today I ate something for the first time in a month."

"Yeah, that's why you aren't allowed to eat much yet," Kohaku remarked. "Your intestines will need some time to get back on track again." The singer didn't respond. "Lucille?"

"Mmh…"

"If you can't keep it in, say so."

"It's okay. It's not really the throwing up kind of nauseous. More like just the sick feeling," the blonde explained. "Still, it was unpleasant enough to wake me up."

"Can I help?" This wasn't good, Lucille really needed his rest while his body was still healing. "You should sleep, you know."

"I know. I wanna sleep, I'm tired," the frail singer mumbled. "Just hold me, okay? Be sweet, and distract me. That's the only thing I can think of that might help. Either that, or you could knock me unconscious."

"I think I'll go with the hugging," Kohaku replied with a dry smile. Laying back down, he pulled the blankets tightly over both their bodies, and then turned onto his side. Carefully, he wrapped his arms around Lucille's slender frame, pulling him close against himself. "Is this better?" he asked softly. The blonde merely nodded, before letting out a deep sigh and relaxing again. Well, at least he seemed like he'd fall back to sleep pretty quickly. Just to be sure that his beloved one had something to distract him from his stomach, Kohaku started to evenly stroke his long silky hair. Lucille's only response was another deep sigh. Within moments, Kohaku heard the singer's breathing evening out.

Only when he was absolutely sure that Lucille had fallen asleep, he stopped stroking the blonde's hair. No response, he didn't seem disturbed by it. So after a deep sigh, Kohaku could finally close his eyes again and snuggle closely against the singer. Hopefully he'd manage to get back to sleep soon too, otherwise his mood wouldn't be amazingly good tomorrow morning. Or maybe this morning, he still had no idea what time it was, other than the fact that it was pitch-black outside. Well, either way it was still too early to be awake.

Letting out yet another sigh, he buried his face in the singer's hair, breathing in his friend's scent. Soft and fresh, but also a bit sweaty. No wonder, he hadn't washed up yesterday. Well, Kohaku could always carry him to the shower tomorrow. Or it might be better to just clean him the way he had when the singer was still in a coma. That way, it wouldn't be an effort to Lucille, though it would be a bit awkward. But that wasn't important right now, all they should worry about was Lucille's health.

It took some minutes before he finally drifted off to sleep, entirely focused on his beloved one's scent and rhythm of breathing. Even after the singer would be completely healed again, Kohaku wouldn't want to miss these moments, having the small blonde in his arms so warm and cozy. It made him feel so happy and safe, even though he wouldn't be easy to admit that. Either way, when he finally did drift off to sleep, he slept like a log for the rest of the night.

A small ray of sunlight onto his face woke Lucille up, the next morning. Yawning, he opened his eyes, giving the small gap between the curtains a blaming glare. Geez, he didn't want to be awake yet. Tiredly, he moved a bit, noticing something warm was wrapped around him and pressed against his side. "Mmh?" A faint smile appeared on his face when he looked and saw Kohaku holding him tightly, so close that Lucille could feel the violinist's soft breaths against his ear. "Kohaku, you have no idea how cute you are when you're sleeping," he whispered, not to wake his friend up.

Kohaku only sighed and snuggled a bit closer against him. "Mmh…" Letting out another deep sigh, he mumbled something inaudible in his sleep.

"Hm?" Lucille asked softly, hoping he'd sleep-talk again.

"You… taste sweet," Kohaku mumbled, this time just clear enough to understand. His smile brightening, Lucille relaxed against the violinist, closing his eyes. Almost asleep again, he suddenly felt a soft kiss onto his cheek, and reopened his eyes startled.

"Ah, sorry!" Eles immediately apologized. "I'm leaving for work, and I kinda made it a habit to give you a kiss when I'm leaving. You know, since you couldn't hear me. I didn't mean to wake you up, sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Lucille mumbled, giving her a reassuring smile. "It's kind of cute. I never had goodbye kisses, not even from my parents when they would go on travel for weeks." He sighed bitterly, but tried not to let the memories in. Even though he hadn't known anything other than such a relationship with his parents, he still had craved more love from them. Not that it had ever made a difference.

"Eh… Well, at least you'll always have them now," Eles tried to cheer him up. "I've been secretly giving goodbye kisses to Kohaku too, though I think I'll have to run for my life if he ever wakes up when I do that." She giggled at the thought.

"Actually…" Lucille thought about it for a moment. "I don't think he'd mind it that much. He's not nearly as rough and emotionless as he tries to act like. Even on that ship… he's so gentle with me since that."

"You've been different too," Eles remarked. "You're way more honest than you were before. And… vulnerable. But in a good way. More human, and more cute."

That last remark made him smile faintly. "Thanks, I guess."

"Oh, I'll have to hurry now!" She suddenly remembered, after smiling back at him. "Eh…"

"You should give him a kiss too," Lucille nodded, guessing her question.

Gently, Eles gave Kohaku a kiss onto his cheek. The violinist mumbled something inaudible, but kept deep asleep. Luckily. After the girl left for work, Lucille wondered what to do for a moment. He still felt tired, but he didn't feel like sleeping. Well, it had been doctor's orders that he'd be sleeping as much as possible, but he just wanted to talk to Kohaku, or at least be aware of his friend being with him. On the other hand, if he'd wake up Kohaku now, he'd probably get yelled at, if not loudly.

Letting out a deep sigh, he settled into sleeping for a little longer, until Kohaku would wake him up for breakfast.

* * *

**This was short, sorry , I was busy last week, and I'll go on vacation next Friday, so I won't be able to update next week.**

**I'll update as soon as I can, though^^**


	5. Scarred

SEQUEL TO "A RETURN TO THE SEA" This makes no sense unless you've read that one already.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters.

Please R&R^^

* * *

"Lucille?" Gently, Kohaku kissed the small blonde on his forehead. "Hey, time for breakfast!"

"Mmh?" Finally, the singer opened his eyes a bit, and the closed them again in a big yawn. "What's for breakfast?" he asked in a mumble.

"Bread. We have chocolate-spread or peanut-butter," Kohaku replied, guessing that Lucille would want the first option.

"Mmh… can I have chocolate?" the blonde, indeed, replied. "And some water, please."

"Okay, I'll be right back. Can you sit up on your own?" The singer obviously tried, his entire body tensing up from the effort it took him to move, but he couldn't manage to even push up his upper body from the mattress. "Hm, I'll help you up when I get back," Kohaku sighed. Immediately, Lucille averted his gaze, biting softly on his lower lip. A bit worried, Kohaku sat down on the edge of the bed, gently placing a hand on the blonde's shoulder. "Hey, no need to feel embarrassed."

"I know, but it annoys me to be so weak." A simple, but honest answer. Still, not really something Kohaku could work with, trying to cheer up his friend. Lucille seemed to understand that, giving the violinist a faint smile. "I'll be fine, don't worry."

Those big crystal blue eyes, that pale face, and especially how thin he had gotten… it made Lucille look so weak and exhausted. And still he told Kohaku not to worry about him. "Geez, moron." Carefully, he gave the singer a deep kiss onto his lips, feeling his friend relaxing under his touch. "I love you. So you should know better than telling me not to worry."

"Then you should know I'll keep telling you that anyway." A tired smile. "Because I love you too."

"Tch. I'm gonna make breakfast. Try to rest a bit 'till I get back here."

Silently, Lucille watched him walk out of the room, somewhat jealous. Even though he felt like he couldn't even stir a bit, he really felt like walking, doing something. Especially with the snow outside, he just wanted to walk around in it and have some fun. Letting out a deep sigh, he glanced at the window. From this position, he could just see some trees outside, covered in snow. By the time he'd be allowed to go outside again, it'd already be spring.

Another sigh, a soft one this time. Well, he should be happy to be alive. And he was happy and grateful for that, it just annoyed him to be so completely useless. Even though he could tell that Kohaku really tried his best to be a good caretaker, he knew it wasn't in his friend's nature to act so careful and tender around other people. It made Lucille feel special that the violinist made an exception for him, but he couldn't help but to feel a bit guilty about making him act unnatural. And he couldn't help but to wonder if Kohaku would manage to keep that up for months.

Not that he didn't trust the violinist completely, that wasn't the problem at all. But what if Kohaku would force himself too much? It couldn't be healthy to keep your natural reactions and emotions in for too long. And he really didn't want to hurt the one he loved, not in any way.

Feeling tears burning behind his eyes, he closed them. No, he shouldn't let it show. Kohaku would feel guilty, even though he had no reason at all to feel guilty. The only thing Lucille could do to help him, was to get better as soon as possible. A strong hand suddenly grabbed his, and he let out a startled gasp. Opening his eyes, he recognized Kohaku leaning over him worriedly. "Oi, are you all right? Are you in any pain?"

"N-no. Sorry, I was just thinking. I'm fine," Lucille replied softly, trying to smile. He knew it looked fake, and he saw from the look in Kohaku's eyes, that his friend noticed it too.

"Stop it. You're lying." It sounded somewhat disappointed. "Geez, aren't we passed that point already?"

"Sorry," the singer sighed, weakly pushing his hair away from his slightly pale face. "It's getting on my nerves to be so useless, I guess."

"You're hurt, not useless. You'd be useless if you'd be able to walk around but chose to stay in bed out of laziness. At least, that's how I see it." Gently, Kohaku leaned down and gave him a kiss. "Mmh… and by the way, you'll never be useless. You're always great entertainment, even when you can barely move."

"Tch, well I'm glad to be a nice toy for you," Lucille grinned.

"You're not a toy." Carefully, Kohaku helped the frail singer to sit up, and then started feeding him small pieces of bread. "You're completely human. Though you do look somewhat like a doll." Lucille swallowed a piece of bread, and then gave him a questioning look with those huge eyes. They looked even more striking now, with his face so pale and thin. And those thick dark eyelashes… "You're more beautiful than any doll I've ever seen. But sometimes, you still seem so… unreal. Like just now, with that fake smile." Hoping he hadn't made Lucille feel insulted, he tenderly stoked the blonde's hair.

"Hm. I guess you're right. Still, there are many things that I don't want anyone to know. Anyone besides you, that is." A soft sigh. "Either way, let's just go on with breakfast, okay?"

"Okay." After nearly fifteen minutes of silence, Lucille had finally finished his breakfast. While Kohaku quickly ate his own breakfast, the blonde kept sitting slumped against him, eyes closed. "Still awake?"

"Yeah. Bored. And my intestines are angry with me again," Lucille admitted. "It'll be better in a few minutes, at least I hope so."

"Wait, maybe this'll help a bit." After putting the empty plates down on the nightstand, he carefully helped Lucille lying down onto his side and then lied down with him, facing the singer. Gently, he wrapped his arms around his friend and started caressing his back. "Maybe this'll be a good distraction."

"Mmh…" Slowly, Lucille relaxed in the violinist's arms, his eyes closing again. "Feels nice." A deep long sigh, and a pleasant shiver went through him. "Mmh."

"Geez, you're almost a cat," Kohaku grinned, before gently pulling him closer. It earned him a soft laugh from Lucille, followed by a yawn.

"Wake me up for lunch," the singer mumbled after some minutes of silence. Kohaku only nodded, waiting for Lucille to fall asleep. It didn't take a lot of patience, seeing the frail blonde drifted off almost immediately, his breathing deep and even.

Letting out a sigh, Kohaku crawled out of the bed without moving his friend. Seems like he had some hours of boredom left. Okay, he enjoyed taking care of the singer, but still it'd be nice if Lucille would be strong enough to walk around soon. Or at least well enough to talk with, instead of having him asleep almost all the time. And, even though he'd never want to admit that out loud, it'd make him feel safer if Lucille would be awake throughout the day. Less worried, less scared that something was wrong with the frail singer.

Still, even when Lucille would be well enough to stay awake, he'd be bored to sleep. How unfair it might seem, there was no way he'd be able to move around before next spring. Though there might be stuff that they could do, Kohaku realized. If he'd play his violin, Lucille could sing along. That'd keep the singer's voice practiced, and it didn't have to cost him much energy if he'd only sing softly. It might even make the blonde feel better, if he'd have an occupation. Especially since Lucille had said himself that he hated it to feel so useless.

For now, he'd better do some chores inside the house, knowing Lucille did need his rest.

"Hey, would you like to practice music after lunch?" he asked Lucille some hours later, while carefully feeding him a sandwich.

The singer gave him a slightly surprised, but happy glance. "Sounds great. But can you play the violin while sitting?"

"Sure, and it doesn't have to be perfect, or loud. But that way our skills won't get rusty, and you'll have something to do besides sleeping." Tenderly, he kissed his friend's silky hair. "And although I do think you look beautiful when you're sleeping, I like you even more when you're awake."

"Thanks, I guess," Lucille smiled, before having Kohaku feed him another bit of the sandwich. "Eh… by the way, I've been meaning to ask… The wound I had from the bullet… could I see it in a mirror? I haven't really seen it yet." He seemed embarrassed to ask, strange enough.

"Sure. You don't look horribly disfigured or anything, it's just a small piece of scar-tissue." The only reason Kohaku disliked seeing it when he would change Lucille's clothes, was that it reminded him of the moment the singer had gotten shot. That fear, the pain, the thought he could have lost the only true friend he had… That wasn't something he liked to be reminded of.

Still, half an hour later, Lucille seemed more disturbed by it than Kohaku had expected. "It looks so… painful," the singer mumbled, "But I can't even recall what it felt like."

"Be glad," Kohaku remarked. "I'd wish I could forget that moment too." Realizing that it sounded a bit harsh to put it that way, he added; "I've never been more scared than when you got shot."

Letting out a sigh, Lucille pulled his shirt back down and signaled Kohaku to put down the mirror. "Well, at least now I know what it looks like. No wonder it still hurts when I use the muscles around my abdomen."

"It'll get better once you get used to moving around again. At least, the muscles will heal and the scar-tissue will get more flexible."

"Hm, yeah." Another sigh. "And… how do you feel about it?"

"It reminds me of nearly using you. That's not a nice memory," Kohaku admitted. "So I don't really like looking at it, to be honest."

"But… you don't think it's ugly or anything?" the singer asked, not looking at him.

"No! Of course not!" Had the blonde really thought that? "Moron, even if your face got cut to shreds, I'd still think you're perfect." A short silence. "besides," he added, wiping his hair out of his face, "I got one too, in case you forgot."

"Yeah, but it really fits you." Lucille chuckled softly. "Without it, you'd look like a normal person, at least your scar reveals how dangerous you are." Gently, he traced the scar with his finger, and then let his arm drop back down onto the bed again. "Actually, it even makes you more attractive."

"Geez, you freak," Kohaku grinned, before kissing Lucille deeply onto his mouth.

* * *

**Will update soon^^**


	6. Still amazing

SEQUEL TO "A RETURN TO THE SEA" This makes no sense unless you've read that one already.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters.

Please R&R^^

**Yes, I know it's only October in the real world… XD**

* * *

After their conversation about scars, Lucille drifted off to sleep again, Kohaku still sitting silently by his side. The urge to kiss him was big, but waking him would be a bad thing. Still, their little talk hadn't only made Lucille feel better. Not that Kohaku usually thought much about his own scar, but this had been the first time someone had actually said something positive about it. That person being Lucille, made it even more special, somehow.

Maybe because the singer always looked so perfect. Even now, pale and thin, he still looked amazing. It always made Kohaku wonder why the singer was physically attracted to someone like him. Okay, it wasn't like he were some kind of monster, but people usually found him scary. Come to think of it, that might be because the way he always glared at people. Ah well, he didn't have any motivation to change that. Either way, the scar across his face didn't exactly make him look any more friendly.

When Lucille told him he thought it made him attractive, it really had made the violinist happy.

"You're weird and…" He sighed, lying down next to the singer and wrapping his arms around him. "And so incredibly perfect."

"Mmh…" Letting out a sleepy groan, the blonde tried to roll over onto his side to face Kohaku. It obviously took him an effort, but he did manage to make it, and then snuggle weakly against Kohaku's chest. His eyelids fluttered faintly, revealing that he was dreaming. Wondering about what, the dark-haired man kept watching his friend, hoping he'd talk in his sleep or anything. "Mmf… Kohaku…"

Immediately, his cheeks went red, and he kept staring at the beautiful singer in his arms. "Geez…" Lucille was dreaming about him? That… was kinda cute, he had to admit. "Come here, you." Tenderly, he started caressing Lucille's back and allowed the singer to contently curl up against him, pressing his back against Kohaku's hands. "You really are like some pet, aren't you?" the taller man couldn't help but to chuckle. Lucille only let out a deep, slow sigh and slept on peacefully.

Later, Lucille finally woke up, opening his eyes drowsily. "Kohaku? How long have I slept?"

"About two hours," Kohaku replied softly. "You're cute while you're asleep."

"Eh?" The blonde smiled uncertainly. "You watched me the entire time?"

"Well, yeah." Feeling a bit shy, Kohaku averted his gaze towards the wall behind the singer. "I have to make sure you're all right, don't I?"

"I guess so." A deep sigh, accompanied by a bright smile. "Either way, it's nice to know you're with me. I slept better than usual." Slowly, he stretched his limbs, managing to get even closer to his friend. "If you feel like it, could we practice music now? I don't wanna fall asleep again."

"Sure, I'll go get my violin." When he got back, Lucille was still trying to sit up, without too much success. With a slightly pained grin, he looked at Kohaku. "Geez, next time wait for me, okay?" the dark-haired man sighed, putting his violin down on the nightstand to help Lucille sit up. Instead of on his usual spot at the bedside, this time he sat down on Lucille's other side, where he slept, and then gently helped Lucille to sit up. "So, what do you want to sing?"

"Maybe we could practice Christmas songs?" Lucille suggested. "To practice, since Eles will probably want to play them too at Christmas."

"Yeah," Kohaku nodded. "I guess she'll be able to play them without any practice, though."

"Well, that might be because she's used to celebrating that holiday," the blonde sighed, with a somewhat bitter smile. "I haven't sang any of those songs since my childhood, when I had to sing them at the church during Christmas time."

"I haven't played them at all, ever," Kohaku admitted. "I only heard them on the streets, but I honestly couldn't be bothered to actually listen. I guess I remember enough of them to play them, though. How about you?"

"I've got a good memory, so I still know the lyrics. So… which song shall we do first?"

"Dunno, you name one."

"Eh… I don't know the name, but maybe you'll recognize it." Softly, he started singing. It was audible that he hadn't sang for a while, and that he was still weakened. But still, his clear voice was beautiful, even now it was so weak. For a moment, Kohaku just listened to it, before finally picking up his violin and starting to play along.

The song was quite sad, Lucille's soft, faintly wavering voice making it even a bit creepy. When the song was over, though, the singer immediate started on another one, giving Kohaku a small smile. The dark-haired man couldn't help but to keep looking at Lucille, even as he was playing the violin himself. The blonde looked and sounded amazing, his voice weak but clear, his face pale but full of happiness. No matter what, singing would always made Lucille feel better, simply because he loved doing it. And, undoubtedly, anyone would love to listen to it.

Towards the end of the song, though, Lucille's voice started faltering more audibly, and this time when it was done, he didn't start a new one. "Geez, I'm even too weak to sing more than two songs," he mumbled annoyed.

"At least you sound beautiful during those two songs," Kohaku remarked. "Which is amazing, considering you've been out for a month."

"Thanks." The happy smile returned, and suddenly the singer lifted up his head to kiss him. Responding instantly, Kohaku kissed him back, feeling how the frail blonde snuggled against him. "I do hope I'll be able to sing more than two songs at Christmas eve, though. And that I'll be allowed to leave my bed by then."

"The doctor's supposed to check up on you the day before. So I don't think it'll be a problem if you lay on the couch in the living-room."

"I hope so," Lucille sighed. "It'd be nicer for Eles if we'd be sitting by a Christmas-tree, and not on a plain bed."

"Wouldn't you also like that better?" Kohaku asked.

"Well… yeah." A soft smile. "It'd be nice either way, to have a real Christmas again, and that includes a tree." His smile faded a bit. "Though I'd love to help buying and decorating."

"Next year you'll be able to. And for this year, just enjoy the result," Kohaku tried to cheer him up. Lucille didn't seem happier, so the violinist gently wrapped his arms around him. "Lucille, all I need for a nice Christmas is you. You're like decoration yourself."

"I'm supposed to see that as a compliment?" the singer chuckled.

"I mean… Aw geez, moron!" Lucille's eyes widened when Kohaku suddenly kissed him deeply. "I love you, and Eles does too in a different way. Even without anything at all, being together is all that's important. Crap… why did you make me say that?" Lucille only laughed and hugged him weakly. It felt so unlike him, and yet so… right. Even though his arms fell back onto the sheets automatically after some moments, it had been enough to make both of them feel better.

"I think I'll go to sleep for a while, if you don't mind," the singer said softly. "Will you hold me again?"

"Sure." Again, he watched Lucille sleeping for some hours, enjoying every faint movement, and every small sound the blonde made. Geez, if anyone ever saw him acting like this, he'd have to kill them. Well, it wasn't like he'd ever act like this in front of anyone but Lucille. And the singer seeing him like this, didn't make him feel embarrassed at all, for some reason. Besides, he was asleep now anyway. Lucille sighed softly in his sleep, moving his head a bit closer against Kohaku's chest. His hair tickled a bit against the violinist's neck, making him smile.

Suddenly, the singer let out a yawn and slowly opened his eyes. "Mmh? Ah, you're still here," he mumbled contently, snuggling closer against the violinist.

"You all right?" Kohaku asked, gently caressing the blonde's back.

"Yeah." Another yawn. "Just wanna sleep a bit longer."

"I'll be right here with you," the dark-haired man promised.

"I know," Lucille sighed. Then, he smiled softly. "I just like to hear you say such things. Since you normally don't act so sweetly at all."

"Sorry," Kohaku mumbled.

"Don't be. You're only sweet when I really need it, that's what makes it special." A somewhat shaky sigh. "That's why it really helps me when you're being sweet. Because it means you truly care about me."

"Eh…" Unable to think of a proper answer, he gave the singer a soft kiss. He felt Lucille trying weakly to get closer to him, to not get any more distance. "Easy, I'm not going anywhere," the violinist mumbled, in an effort to soothe his friend.

"I know." There came not further explanation, but Kohaku felt the singer relaxing when he held him as tightly as possible without hurting him. "You know… Whenever I felt ill as a kid, I always was put in my room, alone. Most of the time even Cordie couldn't sneak in." A soft, bitter chuckle. "And I just laid there, hoping desperately that someone would come in. Not just to get my medicines, or food and drinks. I just wanted someone to hold me, so I'd know I was safe, and that there was no need for me to think about anything." A soft sigh. "I guess… now that I've found out how that really feels, I'm scared of it being taken away again."

"It won't be. I won't ever leave you, and neither will Eles." Really, Kohaku hated having to sound so… unlike himself. But just hinting at what he meant wouldn't be good enough for Lucille, not right now. Not while the blonde was still healing, both physically and mentally. Until he really was completely healed, it would only mean something if Kohaku literarily said what the singer needed to hear. "Lucille?"

"Yeah?" The frail blonde looked up to him, his beautiful blue eyes half closed, but they held some worry.

"What do you wanna eat for dinner? It has to be nutritious."

"Eh?" Not having foreseen that question, Lucille just stared at him for a moment. "Maybe a salad? I'd rather not eat anything warm, I don't think I'll be able to keep it in." He blinked slowly, apparently having trouble keeping his eyes open. "But I think I'll feel better after I've slept a bit."

"Then, is a salad with just cucumber, tomato, egg and cheese all right? We don't have anything else."

"Okay." A deep yawn. "But first, stay with me… 'till I'm asleep."

"Sure. I won't be making dinner until after at least an hour. It's not like salad takes that long to make."

"Mmh."

"And maybe we can start putting up Christmas decorations tomorrow, so it'll surprise Eles. I'm sure we can think of something you can do too."

"Yeah." His eyes closing already, the singer smiled. "I can help making some decorations. It'll save money, you only have to buy colored paper and ribbons and stuff like that."

"I'll go buy that tomorrow." Gently, he caressed the singer's soft cheek before kissing him. "Just sleep now, okay? The more you rest, the faster you'll heal."

"Mmh 'kay," the blonde whispered, resting his head against Kohaku's chest. Within moments, his breath became deep and even. Silently smiling, the violinist looked down at him, feeling the smaller man breathing against him. Well, maybe he'd better sit up already, before he'd accidentally fall asleep too. Slowly, he started moving away, but suddenly the singer made a startled noise. "Nng… no…" Weakly, he grabbed the front of Kohaku's shirt. "So… cold… Don't…" He sounded close to tears, apparently having a bad dream.

"It's all right," Kohaku tried to comfort him, carefully lying back down and wrapping his arms around the singer's thin body. "You're not alone now."

A deep, somewhat shaky sigh, but the singer didn't wake up. Geez, even though the singer barely talked about it, how much did his childhood still bother him, really? Well, he'd probably find out by time. Hopefully he'd also find out how to help the blonde to get over it.

* * *

**I'll update in a week^^**


	7. Moments

SEQUEL TO "A RETURN TO THE SEA" This makes no sense unless you've read that one already.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters.

Please R&R^^

* * *

Diner had been made quickly, just a few minutes before Eles had came home from work. Lucille was still fast asleep, luckily without nightmares, making Kohaku reluctant to wake him up. "Shall we eat here first? Then he won't have to feel obligated to stay awake until we're all finished eating."

"Okay," Eles nodded, sitting down at the kitchen table. "By the way, the shop is closed at Christmas, so I'm free at those two days." She looked at him a bit unsure. "So… will we have a Christmas tree?"

"Yeah. Lucille wants to make some decorations too, so I'll go buy some paper and ribbons tomorrow morning."

"I can barely wait to see how it'll look!" she said happily. "As long as he doesn't force himself to do too much."

"He won't." Kohaku chuckled. "I won't give him the chance to make himself too tired." Besides, with how weak Lucille still was, the violinist would have to help him anyway. "He sang today. Two Christmas songs," he told her.

"How did he sound?" She almost seemed reluctant to ask.

"Duh, he still sounds as amazing as ever. Just really weak, but he's only been out of that coma for a few days yet." Somehow, probably due to the fact that he spend the entire day with the blonde, it felt like it was longer ago. That could also be because he just refused to remember it, how silent and pale and lifeless the singer had been. How much of a miracle it were, that Lucille actually had woken up. Maybe in a few months, when Lucille was fully healed, Kohaku would be able to think and remember it, but not yet. For now, he needed to focus on the current time, and more importantly the future.

"I'm still afraid he won't wake up when he's sleeping," Eles suddenly admitted, staring at her plate. "I know it's not possible, but I'm so scared that he'll lapse into a coma again."

"He won't. And I'm sure he'll get better soon, in a few weeks. Then he won't be sleeping as much anymore." Was he trying to reassure Eles or himself? Both, he suspected. Not that he was afraid that Lucille would end up in a coma again, but the singer just seemed so weak at some moments. Like he could shatter into a million tiny pieces if Kohaku wouldn't be gentle enough with him. Lucille had always been way stronger than he seemed, but this was the first time Kohaku could see him being as frail as he looked. And that's what scared him.

"Well, either way, we'd better not let him find out about our worries, right?" Eles remarked. "He'd feel guilty."

"Yeah," Kohaku nodded. Silently, they ate the rest of their dinner, before getting Lucille his. Gently, Kohaku shook at the blonde's shoulder.

"Mmh?" Slowly, Lucille opened his eyes. "Kohaku? Is it dinner-time already?"

"It is. Wait…" Carefully, he helped his friend to sit up. "Okay, here's your food." After putting the plate on Lucille's lap, he sat down beside him and put his arm around the singer's thin shoulders to support him. The blonde slumped against him a bit, not paying attention to the salad at all.

"Aren't you hungry?" Eles asked worriedly.

"Not really." Letting out a sigh, he closed his eyes. "Headache." Pressing his face against Kohaku's chest, he tried to force down the feeling of nausea. "Pretty bad headache."

"Try to eat at least a bit, okay?" Kohaku asked softly.

"Nng…" Slowly, Lucille shook his head. "I won't be able to keep it in right now." He heard Kohaku sighing, and then felt the plate being removed. "Sorry," he mumbled, knowing how much an innocent headache could scare his friends, while he still was so weakened. He really didn't want to worry them, but if he'd force himself to eat, he'd certainly throw up. Which would be worse than just refusing to eat at all.

"Then can't you eat later?" Eles asked, almost begging him to.

"Okay." He'd had these headaches more often as a kid, mostly due to too much stress. It'd usually went away after some hours of sleep, but he had already slept. "I think I'll feel better after another hour of sleep."

"Then sleep." The violinist didn't let go of him, though. His arms were now both wrapped around Lucille's thin frame, holding him tightly. Letting out a sigh, which chased away the nausea for a moment, the blonde relaxed.

Though Lucille had said he only needed another hour, Kohaku decided it would be a better idea to just let him sleep until he'd wake up by himself. Besides, having the blonde in his arms like this, was something he'd never get bored of. When Lucille finally did woke, Kohaku couldn't help but to stare for a moment, at those beautiful crystal blue eyes that were suddenly looking back at him. "Mmh… Kohaku? How long have I slept?"

"Almost two hours. Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah." He looked through the room, and seemed relieved that Eles had left. "Eh…" His face reddened. "Can I go to the toilet, please? You only have to help me get my pants down, and help me to sit down on the toilet seat."

Oh, great. How was he supposed not to stare? Well, it wasn't like he had a choice anyway, right? "Okay. But I'll have to carry you there, so warn me if I'm accidentally hurting you."

"I will." A somewhat shaky sigh. "I already had to go last time I woke, but I didn't want to ask in front of Eles." Clearly feeling embarrassed, he kept staring away from Kohaku.

"Hey." Gently, Kohaku took the singer into his arms. "Don't feel ashamed. Remember, a few days ago you were still practically a vegetable. It's amazing how quickly you're healing, so don't feel bad about the things you need help with. Especially things that involve going somewhere, since it'll take some time before you'll be able to walk again." Tenderly, he kissed the singer on his hair. "And neither Eles nor I, will think any less of you because you need help. I mean, geez, you nearly got killed. I've done way more embarrassing things to keep you alive." Like changing certain tubes, when Lucille had still been unconscious.

"I know. But it's not really fun to need help like I'm a child." A soft sigh. "Well, at least it's you who needs to help me."

"Why is that a good thing?" Kohaku asked surprised, while carefully making Lucille stand for a moment. The singer had to wrap his arms around Kohaku's neck, so he wouldn't just collapse. The violinist had just enough time to pull down Lucille's pants, before the blonde's arms gave in. "Oi, careful." Quickly, he caught Lucille, and then sat him down on the toilet. "I'll wait outside the door. And you didn't answer my question yet."

"It's because I'd feel guilty if Eles would have to take care of me. She's still a child, and besides, I know she'd feel obligated to." Lucille spoke so softly, it took an effort to hear him through the door. "You'd never feel obligated to do anything for someone else. So I know you're helping me because you want to, not because you feel like it's your job."

"It's not like she would mind helping you," Kohaku remarked, hoping that Eles had already gone to bed, and wouldn't hear their conversation.

"Oh, I know. But she'd be so busy taking care of me, and worrying, that she wouldn't pay enough attention to herself anymore. She's still so young, she should only have to worry about herself. I mean, I know you won't push yourself too far, just to take care of me. You're way to egoistic for that."

"Tch, thanks a lot," Kohaku grumbled.

A slightly annoyed sigh. "You know what I mean. You won't kill yourself for anyone, in a figure of speech."

A short silence. "If I could have caught that bullet for you, I would have." He had said it quietly, and it kept silent for some moments. Just when he thought Lucille hadn't even heard him, the toilet door flew open, and the singer practically fell into his arms, weakly grabbing the front of his shirt to hang onto him. "What…" Quickly, he threw his arms around the singer, helping him to sit down. "Geez, you moron! What the Hell are you doing?"

"Don't ever do that! Don't ever catch a bullet for me!" To Kohaku's shock, the blonde sounded close to tears. "It'd be useless anyway! If you'd die, you think I'd even want to live on?"

"Lucille…" Damn, he indeed shouldn't have said that. And he suddenly became very aware of the fact that Lucille, though he had cleaned himself, hadn't managed to pull up his pants. "I just meant to say that… you're right about me being egoistic. But you're an exception. I just meant to say that you're the only person in the world, who I'd ever risk my own life for." Carefully, he made the singer stand up. "I shouldn't have said it that way, though. And you should've pulled up your pants before coming out of the toilet. Geez, you know a little girl lives here too?"

That managed to make Lucille grin a bit. "Sorry. You just scared me, I guess."

"I know. I won't do it again, sorry." Gently, he pulled up Lucille's pants. "So, do you want to eat your dinner now?"

"Okay," the singer nodded, quietly letting himself be carried back to their room. "By the way, it was nice that you kept talking to me. It made things a lot less… awkward."

"I figured that would help," Kohaku replied. "But next time, tell me when you need to go. Even if Eles is there too. Remember what I said, you shouldn't feel ashamed." Gently, he sat the singer down on his bed, and then pulled up the bed-sheets over his legs. "Eh, I don't think it'll taste that good anymore, but I'm sure it's still eatable," he remarked, while putting the plate with the salad on Lucille's lap. The tomatoes and cucumber seemed fine, only the salad itself didn't look completely fresh anymore.

"It's fine, I'm hungry anyway."

"That's good." Sitting next to the singer, Kohaku started feeding him the salad. "You still can't lift up your fork?"

"I can, but not for long. And I can't aim. Sorry."

"I didn't mean it like that. But you'll need to get back your strength, eventually."

"I guess that's scheduled for after these two weeks," Lucille sighed. "It's annoying, though. Even when I just want to drink some water, I have to ask you." It also seemed to take him some effort to chew on the cucumber slices.

"Eh, can you swallow them? Maybe you should only eat the tomatoes…" Lucille's glare shut him up in an instant. "What? I'm just worried."

"I'm not a baby." Weakly, he folded one hand over Kohaku's, and made the violinist feed him another piece of cucumber. For a part, he managed to swallow it normally, only the last part made him cough a bit breathlessly.

"Hey, careful. I know you're not a baby, that doesn't mean you should be careless."

"I know." Another cough. "I'm not really hungry anymore. Could you bring me some water, please?"

"Sure." Within a few moments, Kohaku was back with a glass of water. After slowly drinking it, Lucille suddenly snuggled against him, his head resting against Kohaku's chest. "Lucille? You okay?"

"Mmh, yeah." A deep sigh. "It's relaxing to hear your heartbeat."

"Eh… nice." A bit unsure, he wrapped his arms around Lucille's thin body, and felt the singer relaxing completely against him. "Eh… are you going to sleep?"

"Yeah." A deep yawn. "Probably."

"Tch, probably?"

"Depends on what time it is."

"Nearly ten o 'clock."

"Ah. Then I'll try to stay awake until you're going to sleep." Letting out a deep sigh, the frail blonde slipped out of Kohaku's grip, and instead laid down on his back, his shoulders and head pillowed on the violinist's lap. "Mmh… you're a nice pillow, by the way."

"Geez," Kohaku grinned. "You're just like some cat." Lucille purred softly, giving Kohaku a look that was supposed to be cat-like. It only made the dark-haired man keep on grinning. "So, tomorrow it'll be cat food for breakfast?"

"Dare to try and feed me that, and you'll meet my teeth and claws." As an extra warning, the singer lifted his left arm, and softly traced his nails over Kohaku's chest. The movement was weak, but at least he was starting to try to move again.

"Well…" Gently, Kohaku took the blonde's hand and kissed it. "Then you're the cutest cat I've ever seen."

Immediately, Lucille's cheeks heated up, and he didn't even seem to notice his arm dropped back limply onto his chest when Kohaku let go of it. "W-wow… Never knew you could be so much of a gentleman."

"I have my secret sides," Kohaku chuckled. His friend smiled faintly, apparently tired, so the violinist slowly started combing through the silky blonde hair with his fingers. That made Lucille let out an appreciative sigh, so Kohaku kept combing gently through the singer's hair. Within some minutes, Lucille's eyes closed and he sighed softly. "You still awake?"

"Told you… I won't sleep until you're going to bed too," the blonde mumbled.

"I'd like to go to bed, but I can't wash up and get into my nightwear while you're using me as a pillow," Kohaku remarked softly. "Not that I'm complaining."

"Well, if you hurry now, we might be able to fall asleep while holding each other."

That did make Kohaku hurry, and some minutes later he stepped in bed with Lucille. Immediately, the thin blonde snuggled up against him, laying an arm over the violinist's waist. Gently, Kohaku took him into his arms, pulling him close. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Lucille mumbled, falling asleep instantly after saying that. His breath felt warm on Kohaku's skin, and the sound of the singer breathing was calming. Still, Kohaku didn't want to sleep yet, eager to listen to that sound for just a little while longer. The fact that Lucille felt so comfortable and safe, sleeping here in his arms, still felt so special to the violinist. Usually, people disliked him, or even were scared. No one had ever trust him so much. Well, he'd never want anyone beside Lucille to be so close to him anyway. It made him feel unsafe, somehow.

But Lucille was an entirely different case. Letting out a sigh, he closed his eyes and pulled the blonde even closer. Lucille was probably the only one who he'd ever trust completely. Because… "I love you," he whispered, before slowly drifting off to sleep.

* * *

**I'll update again in two weeks (can't update next week since I got invited to a vacation by a friend)^^**


	8. Making decorations

SEQUEL TO "A RETURN TO THE SEA" This makes no sense unless you've read that one already.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters.

Please R&R^^

* * *

Letting out a deep yawn, Kohaku tried to hold on to being asleep a bit longer, but the daylight coming through the gap between the curtains made that impossible. Opening his eyes, he sighed. The beautiful pale face of the one he loved, was only inches away from him, their arms still wrapped around each other's bodies. Lucille was still sleeping, so the violinist didn't feel the need to get out of bed soon. Instead, he kissed the blonde gently, not waking him up, and held him even closer. Being almost able to feel Lucille's heartbeat like this, would never cease to make him feel so happy and grateful.

Letting out another yawn, he forced himself to sit up anyway, remembering that he actually had something to do today. If he'd be at the market early, there'd still be some choice in colored paper and other stuff that would seem useful to make Christmas decorations. And if he'd manage to be ready to go early enough, he could go before breakfast, so Lucille wouldn't have to wait for him. Though the blonde did need to wake up for just a moment now.

Gently, he shook at the singer's thin shoulder. A soft sigh was the only response, so the next shake was a bit rougher. "Mmh… Kohaku? Is it morning already?" Lucille mumbled, looking at him through sleepy eyes.

"Yup. You can sleep for a bit longer, though. But I'm going to the market now, so I'll be back within an hour or so. All right?" He needed to know for sure that the blonde was awake enough to remember this conversation. If he'd wake up without remembering where Kohaku had went, the singer might panic. Which wouldn't create the right atmosphere to make decorations for Christmas, and besides, Lucille had endured more than enough stress already. No need to make it any harder on his body to heal.

"Within the hour? And we'll have breakfast after that?" the singer asked.

"That's the idea," Kohaku confirmed.

"Mmh… okay." A long yawn. "Then wake me up when you come back."

"Sure." Almost like he was touching a glass doll, Kohaku gave the blonde a kiss onto his lips, his hand on Lucille's cheek to support him as carefully as he could. When his lips left Lucille's, he felt the singer sighing against him. "Sleep well." No audible response, just a sleepy little smile while the blonde's eyes slid shut again. Seems like it wouldn't be a problem to get back home before Lucille would wake up again.

Luckily, the market wasn't crowded yet. Within minutes, he had bought everything he needed, and he was back into the house with still over fifteen minutes left. After putting down most of the stuff onto the table, he started making some sandwiches for breakfast. When he came into the bedroom, the blonde was still asleep, sprawled on his back and his mouth a bit opened. Carefully, Kohaku sat down beside him, putting the plates onto the nightstand.

"Hey, Lucille!" Carefully, he made the singer sit up, without waking him up. Slumped against Kohaku, the blonde just sighed softly and slept on. "Geez… Wake up already." Shaking at his friend's thin shoulder, the taller man finally managed to wake Lucille.

"Mmh? You're back already?" the blonde mumbled. "How long have you been gone?"

"Less than an hour. You ready for breakfast?"

"Yeah, I guess." A deep sigh. "Did you get the stuff to make Christmas decorations?" It sounded a bit uninterested, to Kohaku's worry.

"Yup, they're in the living-room."

Immediately, the singer's face cleared up. "Great! Then can we start on that after breakfast?"

"Sure," Kohaku agreed happily, while grabbing the two plates from the nightstand, putting one of them on Lucille's lap. "Can you try to eat by yourself? Just one bite?"

"I'll try," Lucille mumbled, almost hurt.

"Not because I don't like feeding you, moron. I just wanna know if you've gained any muscle strength over the past few days," Kohaku explained, without Lucille even asking.

The singer smiled somewhat relieved. "Ah, okay." Slowly, he picked up the sandwich, barely managing to take one bite before his arms dropped limply back onto his lap. "I can't seem to manage more than that. My body just feels so heavy, still."

"Well, at least you managed to take one bite," the violinist remarked. "It's a start." Carefully, he fed the rest of the sandwich to the frail blonde, before eating his own one. "You do seem to have your appetite back."

"Yeah, that's good, right?"

"Definitely." Letting Lucille lean against the wall behind the bed, Kohaku stood up. "I'll be right back." Within minutes, he had cleaned their plates and left those in the kitchen, and then returned with the colored paper, sparkles and other things he had bought. "Be careful with the scissors, okay?"

"I will," the blonde promised. "Besides, you'll have to help me anyway. I don't even think I can lift up a scissor now."

That was probably true, but precisely because of that fact, Kohaku had warned Lucille. Last thing they needed was for the blonde to hurt himself by trying to use scissors while he was still too weak to handle them. "What do you wanna make first, anyway?" he asked, while sitting down crossed-legs next to the singer, putting down all materials partly on the bed, partly on Lucille's lap.

"Maybe some hanging decorations? Like stars?" Lucille suggested, looking at him almost child-like. "And some small ones to put in a tree, and some strings of colored paper and glitter?"

"More than enough ideas," the violinist grinned. "Let's start on some small stars, then."

"'Kay." With some effort, Lucille grabbed a piece of red paper and a pencil. "I'll draw one, and you'll have to cut it." Using Kohaku's chest to keep the paper straight, he carefully drew a small, pretty detailed star, with small Celtic knots inside of it. "Done. You only have to cut the shape, not the details."

"Lucky me," the violinist chuckled. "If I'd have to cut all those weird knots, don't count on it being finished before Christmas." Lucille only smiled faintly. "What are those supposed to mean anyway?"

"Just… something like family. Closeness, happiness…" the singer tried to explain. "It's supposed to improve those things."

For a moment, Kohaku merely looked at the beautiful blonde, who had already started on another small star. Though he had known Lucille really wanted, needed, such a relationship with someone, to be completely sure and at ease with another person, he hadn't thought it occupied the blonde's thoughts that much. "You know I'll do anything I can to make you feel safe and that I really love you, right?" he asked unsurely, feeling a bit awkward and even embarrassed for asking that kind of question.

Lucille seemed strangely happy about it, though, smiling at him like he'd given the singer a present. "Thanks. That… that's exactly what I need."

Kohaku only kissed him gently, and then went back to cutting out the star. After about fifteen minutes, and ten stars, Lucille's hands were trembling so much that even Kohaku noticed. "Hey, if you need a break, just say so."

"Hm, yeah that might be a good idea," the blonde sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. "I can't seem to draw decent stars anymore, anyway."

"No kidding," Kohaku chuckled, gently taking the piece of paper from Lucille's hand and looking at the somewhat disfigured star-like form. "It's nearly lunch-time anyway, so you can relax a bit while I make some sandwiches."

"Okay," the singer agreed, putting down the pencil and slumping against the wall a bit further. "Ouch!" he suddenly cried out, sitting up straight again. Immediately, Kohaku practically jumped towards him, worriedly embracing the frail blonde. Before he could even ask what was wrong, though, the singer smiled at him sheepishly. "G-guess I shouldn't make the scar bent like that yet. It stung pretty badly." The way he clutched his stomach with both arms, made Kohaku know he it was hurting more than he wanted to let show.

"Do you need to lie down for a while?" he asked, not sure how to handle this situation. He'd never been particularly interested in medical stuff, and his own scar was a much different one than Lucille's. So he plainly had no idea what the blonde felt, what movements caused it, and how the pain would disappear as quickly as possible. "Can I help?"

"I'm fine, don't worry," Lucille tried to reassure him. "If I just sit still for a while, it'll stop hurting." A faint smile. "But it's cute how you jumped towards me to help."

A blush crept onto Kohaku's cheeks, making him look away embarrassedly. "Ah… well, nice for you."

"I didn't mean anything bad by it." A deep sigh, followed by a faint growling sound. "Eh, weren't you going to make sandwiches?"

* * *

**I'll update again next week^^**


	9. Warm bath

SEQUEL TO "A RETURN TO THE SEA" This makes no sense unless you've read that one already.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters.

Please R&R

* * *

After a quick lunch, in which Lucille actually finished his sandwich enthusiastically for the first time since he'd woken up, they went on making Christmas decorations for a while longer. When they had enough small stars, the blonde decorated them with some glitter and colors, while Kohaku watched him working. Even though it obviously took the singer an effort to even lift up his arms for longer periods at once, it was clear by the look on his face that he enjoyed doing this. No wonder, he had told Kohaku how much he hated it to feel useless, and with doing this he could feel at least a bit productive. Besides, this was also a nice way to let the singer work on the muscle strength in his arms, if even a little bit. After all, he hadn't used them in over a month.

"So, shall we now make some strings by colored paper?" Lucille suggested, putting down the last small star. "Then we can make some big stars after that."

"You sure you don't need a rest? Besides, if we finish all in one day, you'll have nothing to do tomorrow," the violinist remarked.

Lucille sighed. "I know, but I don't want to sleep for the rest of the day. Isn't there anything else I can do?"

"Well…" This would be awkward, but it did need to happen. "You haven't washed yourself in a few days, so maybe I could help you take a bath?" To his annoyance, he felt his cheeks heating up. "You know… I won't look at anything."

Lucille smiled a bit shyly. "Well, since you took care of the medical equipment while I was still out, I don't think there's anything about me that you haven't seen yet."

True. But at that time, the singer had been unconscious. "But now you're awake. Which makes it a lot more awkward," Kohaku admitted. "Either way, since you can't take a shower on your own yet, there's not much of a choice anyway.

"All right," Lucille sighed. "Let's just get it over with."

Somewhat reluctantly, Kohaku gathered all the paper, glitters and the rest and went to put all on a table in the living-room. After that, he gently carried Lucille to the bathroom, putting him down on a soft towel on the floor to undress him. "Isn't the scar going to hurt when you're in the water?" he asked, while already opening the tab to let the bath fill up.

"I don't know. The wound itself is closed, right? It might even make it a bit more flexible," Lucille replied. "At least, I don't expect it to really hurt."

"Hopefully you're right," Kohaku nodded, gently pulling Lucille's shirt over his head. The singer shivered a bit when the cool air hit his bare chest. "Hold on for a bit, I know it's not that warm here."

"Doesn't matter, I'm fine," the singer smiled. Still Kohaku undid the blonde's pants and underwear as quickly as he could without being rough. Even though he tried his best not to hurt the singer, Kohaku heard him holding his breath slightly when the scar got touched by the violinist's hands. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"Don't be. It's just… sensitive," Lucille replied, almost whispering. For some reason, his cheeks were bright red suddenly. Feeling a bit awkward, Kohaku didn't reply, but instead quickly placed the singer into the bathtub. "Ouch…"

"Too hot?" the violinist asked worried.

"N-no. It just feels strange on the scar." A somewhat difficult smile. "I guess I'm just not used to it yet."

"Well, just say so if it gets painful. For now, try to sit straight so I can wash your hair."

Lucille nodded. Holding the sides of the bath, and probably helped by the water surrounding him, he managed to keep himself sitting up for a few minutes, while Kohaku quickly washed his hair. When that was done, he practically let himself drop down against the edge of the bath, unable to keep himself up for any longer. "My stomach hurts," he groaned.

"The muscles?" Kohaku assumed. When the blonde nodded silently, Kohaku picked up a washing-cloth and gently started washing the singers upper body. Hopefully, the warm water and the movement would help a bit to ease the sore muscles. Lucille seemed to enjoy it, his body relaxing fully under the violinist's touch. Letting out a deep sigh, he closed his eyes. "Mmh… This way, I don't mind having to take a bath at all."

Kohaku chuckled softly. "Don't get too lazy, the idea is that you'll be able to do everything by yourself again, eventually." Still, it was nice that the blonde seemed so relaxed now. It made it a lot less awkward, having to wash him. "I'll do your legs too, but the… private part, you'll have to do that yourself. Okay?"

Lucille merely nodded, his eyes still closed. His long hair drifted around his body, even obscuring his private parts from view. It made him look like some beautiful, lost mermaid. And Kohaku couldn't help but to kiss him slowly, feeling how the blonde sighed against his lips. "Mmh…"

"You look amazing," Kohaku whispered in the singer's ear, after breaking their kiss.

"T-thanks," Lucille sighed, a bright smile making his face even more beautiful. "Mmh… kiss me again, please." Slowly, the violinist gave him another kiss, a soft one but Lucille immediately deepened it. After only moments, though, he suddenly turned his head, breaking their kiss. "Ah… maybe we'd better s-stop before… before I can't hold back any longer."

That did feel like a rather good reason not to stop, but reminding himself of Lucille's condition, Kohaku didn't argue. "Well, I hope you'll get better soon."

'Tch," the blonde grinned. "Don't worry, I'm trying my best, although not specifically for that reason."

Quickly, Kohaku finished washing Lucille, and then sat him down on a towel again to dry him off. The blonde shivered a bit, probably to the fact that his hair was currently giving him an icy cold after-shower. "Wait a sec'," Kohaku said, before getting another towel to dry the singer's hair and wrap it in afterward. "That should keep you dry."

"Yeah. Still cold, though," the singer mumbled, leaning against the taller man's warm body. As fast as he could, but still trying to be gentle, Kohaku redressed him. Not that a pair of pajamas would keep him much warmer, but it'd help at least a little bit. Carrying the singer back to bed, he felt the slender body in his arms relaxing again, Lucille's head resting against his shoulder. As he had expected, the singer was half asleep already when Kohaku put him back to bed.

"You warm enough now?"

"Mmh… yeah." Letting out a sigh, the blonde closed his eyes. "Wake me up for dinner, okay?"

"Sure. Any preferences?"

"Eh…" A long, lazy yawn. "Something sweet?"

"Well, you did ate something nutritious yesterday. So I guess it's all right."

"Then can you make some pancakes again?"

"Will do," the violinist agreed. "Don't get any nightmares, okay?"

"Hopefully," the singer managing to whisper, before drifting off to sleep.

That reply, the faint seriousness of it, made Kohaku look at the blonde a bit worriedly. Had he been having nightmares so often, in the few days that he had been out of the coma? That wouldn't be a good thing, even though he didn't seem to get too little sleep. Well, all Kohaku could do was watching out for him a bit, keeping an eye on the singer while he slept. At least he might see some indications of a bad dream, and try to comfort the blonde without waking him up.

Luckily, though, it didn't seem like the blonde was having any nightmares, at least for the few hours until Kohaku left the room to go bake pancakes. Even when he came back for a moment to check up on Lucille, the singer seemed to be sleeping peacefully. Which did make him feel a bit reluctant to wake him up when Eles came home, just in time for the pancakes to be ready. Well, the blonde would have to eat, right?

Gently, he shook at Lucille's shoulder, only getting an annoyed groan in response. "Hey, wake up already!"

"Mmh… five more minutes, daddy…" the singer groaned, obviously just to tease the violinist. Eles, who had walked in to bring the plates and glasses with milk to the room, giggled softly.

"Either wake up, or I'll feed you shrimps tomorrow evening. The ones they had on that ship, remember?" Kohaku threatened. That did work, the singer immediately opened his eyes, grinning. "Geez, moron."

"Threatening me to get me to wake up. Not a very gentle manner, honey."

"You'd never again call me that after we'd get off that damned ship!" He couldn't help but to chuckle, though. "Babe."

"Okay, I'll shut up." Still smiling, Lucille tried to sit up, instantly being helped by Kohaku. When he finally sat with his back leaning against the wall, Eles handed them their plates, and they finally started eating dinner.

* * *

**Short, but I was busy last week. Next one will be longer and hopefully better ;)**

**I'll update in a week^^**


	10. Holding on to you

SEQUEL TO "A RETURN TO THE SEA" This makes no sense unless you've read that one already.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters.

Please R&R

* * *

Kohaku had noticed the singer getting more and more quiet after dinner, but didn't ask him anything until the blonde suddenly groaned and squeezed his eyes shut. "Lucille? What's wrong?" Worriedly, he embraced him. And got even more worried when the blonde didn't respond. "Hey, Lucille? Answer already!"

"T-think… gonna t-throw up," Lucille choked out, pressing his face against the violinist's chest. "Nng… Kohaku, help…" A gag made him stop talking, and his face paled.

"Keep it in!" As carefully as he could, Kohaku took the frail blonde into his arms and ran to the toilet. "Eles, get a wet towel!" He felt Lucille letting out a dry gag against his shoulder, not throwing up yet, but his entire body shaking from the effort it took him not to. As soon as Kohaku lowered him by the toilet, though, his dinner and probably also his lunch came out. Refusing to feel disgusted by that, Kohaku wrapped one arm around the singer's thin body to steady him, using his free hand to keep Lucille's hair out of the way.

For a moment, he felt his own stomach turning, but when he got a look at Lucille's face he forgot all about that. The singer's beautiful face was sickly pale, shining from sweat, and tears were dripping from his eyes slowly. Every time he vomited, his entire body tensed up, only to collapse again when his intestines calmed for a moment. When it finally stopped, Kohaku automatically pulled him onto his lap, cradling the frail blonde against his chest.

"S-sorry…" A dry gag. "M-my head hurts so m-much…"

"Calm down, just try to relax," Kohaku whispered. "Do you need a doctor?"

"N-ngg… no…" A pained sob came out. "Don't… s-scared…"

The fact that Lucille couldn't seem to bring out a full line without stuttering, made Kohaku want to personally drag the doctor to here, but he didn't want to decide for Lucille. "I really think you should let yourself be checked," he tried to convince him, taking the wet towel that Eles handed him over. Gently cleaning Lucille's face with it, he continued; "Please, just let me call the doctor. You shouldn't feel so sick while you haven't done anything unusual."

"Stay…" Finally, the blonde opened his eyes a bit, glancing at the violinist with a hazy look. "C-call. But then… stay with me." A shaky sigh, which ended in a faint sob. "I'm s-scared…"

"H-he seemed fine during dinner," Eles stammered, nearly crying with worry. "How has he gotten this sick in just a little over an hour?"

"Don't know, hold him for a moment while I call the doctor," Kohaku commanded. Lucille didn't even respond when Kohaku handed him over to Eles, his eyes had already closed again. "I'll be right back."

The doctor promised to come to them immediately, when Kohaku explained the sudden problems. "It might be just a case of over-exhaustion, but… with everything that happened, and the internal injuries he's had, this shouldn't be taken too lightly. Just put him in bed and try to keep him calm, I'll be with you as soon as I can."

"All right," Kohaku replied, before putting down the phone and rushing back to the bathroom. Eles was still on the ground, holding Lucille in her arms, but the singer seemed a bit less tense than he had before. "We need to get him to bed, and then wait for the doctor."

She only nodded, stepping back to let Kohaku lift the blonde into his arms and carry him to their bedroom. Lucille didn't even look at him, only groaned softly. "Hey, are you feeling any better already?" the violinist asked worriedly.

"Yeah, a little. My head just feels like someone's hitting on it with an hammer." A somewhat shaky sigh. "But I feel less nauseous."

"That's a start," Kohaku remarked softly. "Just try to rest for a bit, but try to stay awake."

"Okay." Even when Kohaku had put him in bed, he kept holding onto the violinist's arm. "You're not leaving… right?" The faint fear in his voice was almost painful to listen to. Kohaku merely nodded and sat down at the edge of the bed, holding the singer's slender hand, and using his free hand to gently caress the silky blonde hair. Lucille leaned into his touch a bit, evidentially feeling calmed by it. His eyes didn't close, probably because he knew he'd drift off if he'd close them, but the look in those beautiful crystal blue orbs became somewhat hazy, and his soft lips were slightly parted as he breathed quickly. Honestly, he looked amazing. Too pale, but undoubtedly beautiful.

"Lucille?" Kohaku asked softly.

"Hm?" the blonde mumbled, turning his head a bit to look at him.

"Would you feel worse… if I'd kiss you now?"

A faintly surprised smile. "I don't mind. But you do realize that I taste like vomit right now?"

"I do." Carefully, he leaned over the frail singer and gave him a long kiss onto his lips. Just when he sat up again, there was a soft knock on the door. Eles immediately ran to it, coming back with the doctor within a few moments. The man carefully examined Lucille. "Have you been experiencing this headache for all of the day already?"

"Well… it's been feeling a bit achy all day long, but it just got bad suddenly," Lucille replied unsurely.

"It seems to me that you're having a migraine. I can't give you any medication right now, but I'll make someone deliver some medicine later on tomorrow," the doctor promised. "If you get another attack, just take a pill and then sleep for about an hour or two. That should work."

"But he's never had any migraines before," Kohaku remarked, holding Lucille's hand worriedly.

"It could very well be a result from his recent trauma, which means the attacks might disappear completely over time. It'll probably get worse before it might get better, though," the doctor explained.

"Well then, thanks." Lucille sighed. "Just one question, though, how long will the headache and nausea last without medication?"

"It could be a few hours, but it might last for a few days," the doctor told him. "It'll get worse of you move around too much, and you might want to stay clear of any bright lights or loud sounds until you feel better."

"Trust me, he won't have a chance of even sitting up until he's all right again," Kohaku said, protectively squeezing the blonde's hand. Eles let the doctor outside, and then went to her own room to sleep, leaving Kohaku and Lucille together in their room. The violinist still kept holding on to Lucille's limp hand. The singer's eyes were closed now, and Kohaku had let go of him for a moment to close the curtains, making the room dim. "You still okay?" he then asked the blonde.

"Mmh… yeah. I feel a bit better already. Can you… come kiss me again? It's nice when you're touching me," the singer admitted, looking at him shyly. "Especially when it's… somewhat intimate."

"Usually women use a headache as an excuse not to get intimate," Kohaku couldn't help but to remark, with a soft chuckle.

"Well, I'm not a woman, am I?" A faint glare. "So come here and kiss me."

"Yes, master." Leaning over the blonde, Kohaku chuckled. "Or will you hit me with a whip if I don't obey?" At that, Lucille's cheeks went bright red and his face tensed a bit. "S-sorry. I shouldn't have…" Kohaku quickly started, realizing that considering his past, the singer probably wouldn't like that remark.

"Don't apologize, I can take a joke," Lucille interrupted him with a slight smile. "You making all my blood rush to my cheeks just made my head throb. But weren't you going to…"

This time it was Kohaku's turn to interrupt him, with a gentle kiss. Almost immediately, he felt Lucille relaxing underneath him, his eyes falling shut. Still, no matter how much the blonde seemed to enjoy this, Kohaku didn't make it a long kiss. "So, you got your goodnight-kiss. Now you should go to sleep, then hopefully the migraine will be gone tomorrow morning."

"Yeah, I hope so," Lucille sighed. "Will you come to bed too?"

"Duh. What else do you expect me to do if I'm the only one awake?" Lucille merely chuckled at that, his eyes still closed. Not knowing for sure if the blonde wasn't already falling asleep, Kohaku redressed as quietly as possible and then quickly made a trip to the bathroom to brush his teeth. When he came back and closed the door behind himself, Lucille finally opened his eyes for a moment. "You should be asleep already, you know?"

"I know. But I'd rather fall asleep in your arms, if you don't mind," the singer mumbled, snuggling against the taller man as soon as he got into the bed. Well, not that Kohaku minded that. Tenderly, he wrapped his arms around the blonde's small frame and pulled him even closer. "Goodnight… Kohaku." It was barely more than a sleepy whisper.

"Goodnight, babe," Kohaku mumbled back, spotting the faint smile flashing over Lucille's face at that nickname. But it felt nice to call him something only he could call the singer, and he really didn't feel like calling him 'dear'. That sounded so old, in his opinion. Besides, even for a guy, Lucille definitely could be defined as a 'babe', with his beautiful face and well-shaped body. Another suiting nickname would be 'doll', but that'd be kinda scary, considering their job of killing undead dolls.

"Mmh… honey," Lucille sighed. "You're warm."

"Well, my warmth is your warmth," Kohaku grinned, waiting for the blonde to get fully comfortable against him before closing his eyes himself. Though the sudden stress about Lucille had made him tired, it took a while before he finally fell asleep. The singer drifted off within minutes, breathing softly against Kohaku's cheek. Still, even that didn't manage to get him to relax completely. After some minutes of trying to sleep, he sighed and opened his eyes. Now that they'd adjusted to the darkness of the room, he could see Lucille's face with a bit of an effort.

He looked so cute when he was sleeping, his thick eyelashes brushing over his cheeks, his soft lips a bit parted. The blonde seemed to be dreaming, his eyes moving faintly behind his closed eyelids. Well, at least he was sleeping peacefully, so hopefully his migraine would be gone in the morning. Suddenly, the singer let out a deep sigh and laid his arm across his forehead, softly rubbing his eyes. He didn't seem to have awoken, though. "Mmh… Kohaku…" Another sigh, after which he mumbled something incoherent.

"I'm right here," the violinist whispered, just in case Lucille was having some kind of nightmare. In response, the blonde smiled faintly in his sleep. Kohaku couldn't help but to smile back at him, even though Lucille couldn't see that. Still, having seen the singer smile so carelessly had finally managed to make him feel able to completely relax, and letting out a yawn he closed his eyes. Feeling the blonde's warm body against him, feeling him breathing steadily, that helped too, and within minutes he drifted off to sleep.

When he awoke the next morning, the singer was still sleeping deeply, his face now buried against the front of Kohaku's nightshirt. For a moment, the violinist wondered if he should wake up the small blonde, but decided against it. He'd find out soon enough whether Lucille felt better now when he'd wake up on his own. And making him wake up might worsen his headache, if the migraine hadn't left yet. So he just kept laying there for a while, tenderly brushing through the long blonde strands of hair with his fingers.

"Mmh…" Moaning softly, the singer turned over onto his stomach, his body tensing suddenly. "Ouch!"

"Lucille? You okay?" Kohaku asked worriedly.

"Y-yeah. Shouldn't have laid on my stomach." With a somewhat sheepish smile, the blonde turned back onto his side. "It's still quite sensitive."

Yeah, he'd noticed that when he had Lucille taking a bath yesterday. "Then be more careful, moron," he grumbled. "How's your headache?"

"As good as gone." A soft sigh. "And I can't be careful when I'm asleep."

Instead of replying, Kohaku leaned over him and gently kissed him. "I just don't like seeing you in pain," he whispered afterwards. "But you're still a moron."

At that, the blonde chuckled. "Then you're a bastard." That fact didn't stop him from weakly wrapping his arms around Kohaku's neck to pull him down into another kiss, though. "By the way, shall we go on with the Christmas stuff today? Some strings of colored paper with some glitter? That should be easy enough."

"Sure, but if you get an headache again, you'll tell me. All right?"

"All right," the singer replied, smiling again. "But first, can we get some breakfast?"

* * *

**So… again they didn't really do a lot, but as soon as Lucille has recovered there'll be more action ;)**

**I'll update soon^^**


	11. Don't let it show

SEQUEL TO "A RETURN TO THE SEA" This makes no sense unless you've read that one already.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters.

Please R&R

* * *

Gently, Kohaku fed Lucille a sandwich with jelly, the blonde lying calmly in his arms. "So, you're really all right now?" Kohaku asked, noticing Lucille still being more quiet than usual.

"Yeah." Letting out a sigh, the singer closed his eyes for a moment. "Like I said earlier, the headache is as good as gone. The light just makes it a bit… less gone." Which did explain why he had gotten more silent after the violinist had opened the curtains, letting the morning sun shine in brightly. Kohaku tried to remember what the doctor had told, something about sensitivity for light and sounds, and too much moving around. Meaning the blonde should be in a slightly dark room, and not doing too much.

"I can close the curtains, if that would help?" he suggested. "And maybe you should sleep."

"No!" Lucille immediately responded. "I mean, it'd be nice if you could close the curtains, but I don't want to be asleep all day long. Making decorations for Christmas is the only thing I can do."

"But we have more than a week left before they have to be finished. We could play a game, that'd be less exerting for you." After carefully laying down the singer, Kohaku closed the curtains. Sitting back down, he took the blonde back into his arms. "Is this better?"

Lucille nodded softly. "Maybe you're right. Do we have any games here?" He sounded somewhat disappointed, but then took a deep breath and added; "But then we're going to make decorations tomorrow."

"Sure, babe." Gently, Kohaku kissed him on top of his head. "And I'm pretty sure there are some games here. Eles bought some, I'll go look for them later."

"Okay. Why not now?"

"Because you need to rest first, and I need to take a shower," Kohaku replied dryly. At that, Lucille gave him a small smile, and allowed Kohaku to lay him back down. "I'll hurry."

"I'll be waiting." A faint chuckle. "Well, not that I can go anywhere, anyway." It sounded somewhat bitter, and for a moment Kohaku just looked at him. The blonde looked back at him, his face slightly pale and his big blue eyes somewhat hazy. Not that he seemed to feel that weak, rather he seemed bored. No wonder, really. Usually, they were traveling all the time, on assignments, defeating guignols and trying to save people. Now Lucille couldn't even do as much as walking around, he could only lay there. Sure, that was necessary for his physical healing, but there was no way that it would do any good for his mental health.

As soon as the singer was allowed out of bed, Kohaku would try his best to keep him busy, the violinist promised himself. Maybe then Lucille wouldn't be so easily bored most of the time. It would take a rather long while until they'd be able to go on with everyday life once again, but they'd at least be able to walk in the forest outside. And knowing Lucille, if the blonde had the chance, he'd easily give himself something to do. As long as he wasn't allowed out of bed, though, he'd just have to be patient.

"Hey, it's snowing again," the blonde suddenly remarked, looking through the window longingly. "I'd wish I could go outside and play in it."

"Well…" This was a bad idea, but he wanted his friend to feel better so badly. And if they'd just be careful, things would be fine. "Maybe tomorrow… if you're all wrapped up in a few blankets, and wearing thick clothes…" He still had some doubts, but Lucille was looking at him already, hope flickering in his eyes. "I could carry you outside, if it's only for a few minutes."

"That… that'd be great!" Lucille responded enthusiastic, and audibly surprised.

"But only if your headache is completely gone," Kohaku warned, and added more quietly; "I'd never forgive myself if I'd get you sick just before Christmas."

"I promise I'll tell you if I don't feel good, or if I'm even a little cold, I promise!" the blonde exclaimed. "As long as I can be in the snow… with you." A somewhat shy smile graced his face. "To tell you the truth… I always thought of it as a really romantic thing, to be walking in the snow with someone beloved. And… you're the one I love."

"Anything else I need to know? Other things you need me to do with you?" Kohaku asked, his sudden shyness startling himself. At the blonde's slightly hurt look, he quickly apologized. "Sorry. I'm just not really used to people wanting to do that kind of things with me." The realization stung a little. "I don't think anyone even saw me as their special person before," he admitted, not looking at the singer. "But… whatever you think is romantic, I'll do it. As long as you're there, I'll like it."

"I understand," Lucille replied, smiling faintly.

He knew he still hadn't given the response that would make the blonde truly happy. "I… I love you too," he mumbled.

Finally, Lucille smiled widely, making him look a lot less like a pale puppet. "Then go take a shower, and hurry up," he grinned happily.

Within about twenty minutes, Kohaku came back into the room carrying a few small cardboard boxes. Lucille had been staring through the window for the past time, startled a bit when the boxes were suddenly placed on the nightstand next to him. "Eh?" A bit sheepishly, he turned his head to look at his friend, who looked back amusedly. "Falling snow seems to be quite… hypnotizing."

"So it seems," the violinist chuckled. "But if you can drag your mind away from it for a moment, you can see which games we have here."

Immediately, Lucille sat up. It took more effort than he liked, but at least he made it to leaning his back against the wall behind him, without needing Kohaku's help. His head gave a soft pound, warning him to take it easy, but he ignored it for the moment. "Can we play that one?" he asked, pointing at a random box. Reading took too much of an effort, especially with his migraine still not completely gone, but that particular box had nice bright colors. Besides, Kohaku wouldn't have brought these games if all of them weren't fun, right?

For some time, they played that game. When it got boring, they moved on to the next one, and eventually it was already passed lunch-time when they were out of games. "You hungry?" Kohaku asked, glad that the singer seemed to feel a lot happier than he had that morning.

"Just a bit." Letting out a yawn, the blonde leaned against him, softly biting his neck. "Are you on the menu?" It was just a tease, but Kohaku felt his cheeks heating up and growled at him. "Or am I on the menu?" Lucille chuckled in response, that line ending in a surprised yell when the violinist suddenly pushed him down on the bed, leaning over him threatening. "K-Kohaku?" the singer mumbled, some not-so-pleasant memories crawling into his mind. He pushed them away quickly, though. Those were man he had encountered during assignments, who had thought he was a woman. The one leaning over him now, actually loved him.

Probably having noticed Lucille's discomfort, Kohaku began to sit back up. "Sorry, I forgot for a moment that you're…" Before he got out of Lucille's reach, the blonde suddenly pulled him back down, wrapping his arms around the taller man's waist. "Hey! What the…"

"Sorry," the singer mumbled. "You didn't hurt me or anything, I was just… a bit spaced out for a moment, I guess." He realized that it had been a strange moment to lose his concentration on reality, but hoped that the violinist wouldn't say anything about that. "You're the first one ever to look at me that way… and truly see me."

"Lucille…" Letting out a sigh, he smiled. "You're an idiot."

Before Lucille could respond, his lips were captured in a deep kiss. "Mmh…" he sighed, letting his eyes drop shut. Still, Kohaku didn't make it a long kiss, pulling back after merely a moment, and Lucille gave a disappointed groan.

"I'll go make lunch," the violinist said, already standing up. "We can continue later, if you'd like." With that, he left the room, and Lucille let out a deep sigh before closing his eyes again, finally giving in to his aching head.

* * *

**I'll update in a week^^**


	12. Something special

SEQUEL TO "A RETURN TO THE SEA" This makes no sense unless you've read that one already.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters.

Please R&R

**Sorry for not updating last week, I had a flu ^^' **

* * *

"Hey, sleeping beauty?" Gently, Kohaku shook at Lucille's thin shoulder, trying to wake him up. The blonde just moaned almost inaudibly and weakly slapped at the violinist's hands as if he were chasing away a bug. "Wake up already, you've got to eat." Another groan, but this time the singer did open his eyes and looked at him wearily. "You okay?"

"Fine." The annoyed tone of voice and his pale face said something different, though. "Stop staring, I'm okay… really…" Letting out a pained gasp, he closed his eyes again.

Sighing, Kohaku sat down on the edge of the bed. "Didn't I tell you to say so, if the migraine got worse?"

"Mmh… sorry," Lucille mumbled, audibly feeling like crap.

"Well, lucky for you, the medicine should get brought here soon. Though I'm starting to feel like I should force you to actually rest when you've taken them." Knowing Lucille, the blonde would probably insist on staying awake and talking, trying to convince the world that he was fine. Although, considering the way he was currently trying to crawl on Kohaku's lap, that might just be a result of fear. Fear of what, though, the violinist wasn't sure about. It could be that the blonde was scared that someone would try to hurt him if he were alone and off-guard, or maybe he was just afraid that Kohaku would leave.

Either way, the only thing the dark-haired man could think of to help the blonde, was to make sure that he never was alone. That either himself or Eles would be there all the time, at least until Lucille was fit to defend himself again. But right now the most important thing was to get him to eat something. Carefully pulling up the blonde onto his lap, he grabbed the plates with bread. "There's sugar on it, since we ran out of jelly. Sweet enough for you?"

Lucille looked at it without too much enthusiasm. "Well, I guess I should eat," he admitted reluctantly. Honestly, he had felt rather hungry earlier, and he had thought that a nap would only do him good. On the contrary, after being awoken before he had actually rested enough, he felt only worse. It wasn't that he didn't want to eat, he just wasn't too sure he'd be able to keep it in. "Could you… feed me slowly? That might make it easier," he asked softly. "If I eat too fast, I don't think my intestines will let me get away with it."

"Sure." Surprisingly gentle, as he had been ever since Lucille had woken up from his coma, Kohaku used one arm to support the blonde's thin body, and used his free hand to carefully feed him a piece of bread. "You still can't eat by yourself?" he asked then.

"During games, you had to move my pawn because I couldn't aim well enough to replace it to a different spot," Lucille reminded him, while chewing. "I'm willing to try, but don't laugh at me if I can't get it into my mouth." After Kohaku nodded, Lucille moved a bit to grab a piece of bread. Lifting up his arm still took more of an effort than it should do, but he did manage to eat by himself. "Yay," he mumbled dryly, letting his arm drop back onto his lap limply. "But… can you do the rest? That is, if you want me to be resting within the hour."

"Sure, babe," Kohaku agreed, and Lucille could see that his friend was happy about the improvement. Well, some days ago he had barely been able to lift up his arms, so indeed he was getting better considerably. Even his appetite had been done good by it, and he managed to finish the entire slice of bread without getting nauseous.

After quickly finishing his own lunch, with a short break in the middle when a mailman came to deliver the migraine medication, he carefully laid the blonde back onto his back. Letting out a soft sigh, the singer turned over onto his side, curling up a bit, which told Kohaku that the blonde actually planned on trying to sleep. One week on that ship had learned him that Lucille almost always went to sleep while lying on his side like this, probably because it made him feel less open and vulnerable. Either way, the violinist couldn't help but to smile when he covered the blonde's frail body with the bed-sheets, watching him closing his eyes and curl up a bit tighter.

"Are you comfortable now?" he asked softly, guessing the singer was half-asleep already.

With that, he proved to be right, as Lucille merely nodded, and didn't reply in any other way. So the violinist just sat back down onto the side of the bed, and started combing with his fingers though the long blonde hair. At that, his friend sighed and moved a bit towards the gentle touch. It felt nice to have the blonde falling asleep at his side, as always. It was a prove of trust, especially coming from someone as closed up as Lucille. Letting out a sigh, Kohaku gave the blonde a kiss onto his cheek. And then to imagine that it had only taken a week for them to break most of each other's barriers.

Suddenly, Lucille sighed faintly and turned over onto his back, unconsciously grabbing the thing closest to him. Which happened to be Kohaku's right arm. "What…" Not even waking up, the blonde pulled him close, clenching the arm against his chest like some kind of plush toy. "I'm gonna need that arm, you know?" the violinist whispered, not really wanting to wake up his friend. Lucille only sighed again, sleeping on peacefully. "Hey, let go already…" Carefully, Kohaku pulled back, but the blonde whined softly and tightened his grip. Well, considering how weak he still was, it wasn't really much of a 'grip' anyway. But it was tight enough to make it impossible for the violinist to free himself without waking the blonde.

"Moron," he grumbled silently, sitting back down onto the edge of the bed. Hopefully, Lucille would let go of him soon. Finally, after nearly twenty minutes, the singer's grip loosened as he seemed to slip into a deeper sleep. Carefully, Kohaku freed his arm and put the blanket back over Lucille's upper body before standing up. No response came from the blonde, he just laid there, so Kohaku silently left the room to do some chores in the house. That took some hours, but Lucille was still asleep when he was done. Well, that might give him a chance to do some extra shopping for Christmas.

"Lucille?" Gently, he woke the singer. "Hey, you awake?"

"Mmh?" His eyes half closed, Lucille looked up. "What?"

"I'm going to the marketplace, okay? I'll be back in an hour."

"What are you gonna buy?"

"Just some stuff we need," Kohaku replied vaguely. Luckily, the singer wasn't awake enough to notice anyway. "So, will you be all right on your own?"

"Yup, I'll just sleep some more." Closing his eyes again, the singer relaxed. With a soft smile, Kohaku give him a kiss onto his cheek before getting ready to leave.

Even while wearing a thick coat and boots, the snow didn't make walking any more pleasant. Well, looking at it from the bright side, he nearly slipped 'only' five times so far. Carefully walking into the marketplace, not wanting to slip and fall in front of half the villagers, he looked around. Mostly food and crafting equipments. But in one corner, there were some stands that sold candy and toys. Maybe he'd be able to find what he was looking for in one of those stands.

He'd never really celebrated Christmas, let alone buy anyone a gift. But honestly, even though he'd never admit it, he'd feel guilty if he wouldn't buy Lucille and Eles something now. Eles had been amazingly mature and helpful, getting a job to support them all, so she definitely deserved to be a happy child again, even if only for a day. And it wouldn't hurt Lucille to be cheered up a bit too, after all that happened. Besides, he knew the blonde was afraid to be a burden, now that he needed so much help. This was something he didn't necessarily need, so maybe it'd convince him that Kohaku actually liked to do things for him.

Now the only problem left, was what to buy them. Okay, Eles wasn't too hard, she'd probably like anything that was sweet and fluffy, so he could just buy here some plush toy. Since he didn't really know what Lucille liked in terms of gifts, maybe he could buy the singer some toy too. Considering how he'd held on to Kohaku's arm earlier, it might even be a good idea to give him a plush toy too. Which brought him upon the next problem, that these stands had about ten different types of animals and at least six mythical creatures.

Honestly, the world just didn't want to make this easy.

"Can I help you?" the owner of the stands asked. She looked at him almost amusedly. "Is there anything specific you are looking for?"

"Just some plush toys." Obviously. "As Christmas presents. One of them will like anything, but I'm not sure 'bout the other."

"Well, everyone usually likes plush bears." She held up a medium sized, chocolate brown bear, wearing a red and green bow tie around its neck.

That'd be okay for Eles. "Okay."

"So, this one? And would your other friend like one too?"

"Only one bear, please. Eh, any suggestions about what a male blonde moron generally likes?"

She giggled at that. "Ah, such a 'friend'. Well, that should indeed be something special."

Kohaku felt his cheeks heating up. How the Hell did she notice that? Well, at least no comments about the fact that they were both guys. "He's had some rough times recently, so it should be something soft and cute." Something Lucille would be able to cuddle with when he couldn't sleep, if Kohaku wouldn't be around.

"Mmh." She nodded. "Any specific animals that he likes?"

"Not really." He honestly had no idea. It'd never really been a subject of conversation. "It shouldn't be too big, though. And just… special." Yeah, that helped a lot. But he really couldn't think of anything better as an explanation. To him, Lucille was so special, it shouldn't be just a regular plush animal.

"What about this?" the lady suggested, holding up a plush unicorn. It was about 10 inches tall with snowy white fur, manes and tail, and big black eyes. It didn't have a mouth, but somehow that made it look even more sweet and friendly. On closer inspection, it even had silver strings throughout its fur, the sun giving them a rainbow-like shine. It'd be perfect.

"I'm sure he'll like that," Kohaku agreed gladly. Apart from the two toys, he also bought some candy, and then quickly returned home.

Lucille was still asleep in bed, so Kohaku quietly packed the two toys in some colored paper, writing the names of their new owners on the paper, and hid them and the candy underneath the bed. No reason why Eles would look there, and Lucille couldn't get out of bed yet anyway.

"Mmh… K-Kohaku?" Startled by Lucille's voice, he stood up. "What were you doing down there?"

"Spider," Kohaku lied quickly. "It got away, though."

"Ah." The singer yawned lazily. "Well, I hope it won't come back then." Letting out a deep sigh, he tried to sit up. At the first try, he fell back, but the second time he made it. "Geez, I'm bored." His big blue eyes were somewhat hazy, but he clearly hadn't been completely asleep from some time already. Well, at least he hadn't noticed anything.

"We could play games again," Kohaku suggested. "And I'll have to start on dinner within an hour anyway."

"But I want to do something real," the blonde mumbled annoyed. "Not just sitting in bed."

"You can't yet. Just be patient, the doctor will come to check up on you in a few days, and I'm sure he'll think you'll well enough to start moving around a bit. Besides, I already promised you we'd go outside tomorrow?"

"Yeah." A sigh. "But I can't wait to get back to work again."

At that, Kohaku had to think for a moment, not too sure about how to respond. Sure, it'd be great once things were back to normal. But he'd definitely be way more worried about Lucille's safety, way more protective. And he could only hope that he'd manage to hide that enough, so it wouldn't get in the way of their relationship. "Well, I agree on that. But you have to be fully healed and back to strength before we can do that."

"I know. It'll be easier once I can actually start working on that." Finally, Lucille seemed somewhat cheered up. "But to get back on what you said, could we play a card game? That won't take too long."

"Sure, babe." Wrapping his arms around the blonde, he gave him a deep kiss. Then he quickly left to get a pack of cards, not seeing how a faintly guilty smile ghosted over Lucille's face.

Geez, did Kohaku think he was stupid? Well, whatever the violinist had bought for Christmas, it'd be great. He wasn't sure if it were food, decorations or even gifts, but the fact that Kohaku actually tried to do something to make it more fun, was amazing. Still, it did make the blonde feel bad about not being able to do anything besides producing some home-made decorations. Even though he'd never had the chance, or rather the type of home, to have a true Christmas, he'd have loved to buy gifts for his friends.

Next year, they'd be working again. Even if they'd try, there was no guarantee that they'd have to opportunity to celebrate Christmas then. If he'd just be able to walk, he could get gifts for Kohaku and Eles this year. "Damn…" he groaned, once again cursing the person who shot him, and that ship's captain for giving the command. If he'd ever meet those guys again…

"Found it!" Quickly, he forced a smile onto his face, just before Kohaku walked back into the room, holding a pack of cards. "They got buried underneath the other boxes."

"Poor cards," the singer chuckled, watching as Kohaku sat down across him, just beside Lucille's lower legs, and put the cards on the blonde's lap. Then he leaned over and gave him another kiss. "Mmh… You're really trying to cheer me up, aren't you?"

The violinist smiled a bit embarrassedly. "Does that mean I'm making an idiot out of myself?"

"Not at all." The fake smile he had been wearing finally turned real. "Actually, you're surprisingly good at it."

* * *

**So, I hope it was worth the wait ;)**

**I'll update in a week^^**


	13. Like a home

SEQUEL TO "A RETURN TO THE SEA" This makes no sense unless you've read that one already.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters.

Please R&R

* * *

In silence, Kohaku made dinner, his mind still at the time he'd just spend with Lucille. They'd kept on playing card-games until the violinist had to go and make dinner, but the blonde hadn't seemed completely there, somehow. Oh, he had made some jokes, talked, and beat Kohaku in game several times. It was the look in the singer's beautiful eyes, what worried Kohaku. Preoccupied, somewhat worried, even slightly depressed. At least two out of those three were bad news, in the violinist's opinion.

Lucille hadn't said anything strange, though, not giving any clue about what was on his mind, so it could be still the whole 'burden'-thing. Geez, what else could he say to the blonde? He'd already told him multiple times that both Eles and himself didn't mind to take care of the blonde, even enjoyed spending extra time with him. So what else could he do? It wasn't like there was any way he could speed up the healing-process of Lucille's body, there wasn't another choice than to wait until the singer was fit enough to walk again. Then they'd be able to start working on him getting back his strength. Until then, though, all they could do was wait.

"I'm home!" Eles' voice suddenly sounded though the house, startling Kohaku from his thoughts.

"Dinner will be finished in about ten minutes, could you keep Lucille some company?" he replied, before she'd even entered the kitchen.

Sniffling the air, she nodded. "What are you cooking? It smells strange."

"Spaghetti. With one of those mixes for sauce, that only needs water to be added. I guess that's the weird smell."

Curiously, she looked into the pans. "Well, it looks tasty enough. I'll be with Lucille, just yell if you want me to help carry the plates and glasses." With that, she left the kitchen.

Some fifteen minutes later, they all sat on the bed again, eating their dinner. It tasted better than Kohaku had expected, surprisingly. Even Lucille seemed to enjoy it, even though he had some trouble chewing properly. "The sauce is great, but you should have cooked the spaghetti itself a bit longer."

"Yeah, sorry. But I'm pretty sure it's digestible," he replied dryly.

"'Pretty' sure?" Lucille grinned.

"Well, if you drop dead, we'll know 'pretty' sure wasn't sure enough."

The blonde weakly slapped his arm, still grinning. "I'm not your guinea pig, you know?"

"Indeed, you're way more difficult to handle." Gently, Kohaku pulled at his friend's hair. "Either way, your plate isn't empty yet."

Letting out an amused sigh, Lucille allowed the violinist to start feeding him more spaghetti. Chewing it was a bit of a task, but he still managed to eat almost his entire portion. Now, let's hope Kohaku was right, and his insides really would be able to digest that. At least the sauce should help. Feeling a bit drowsy from eating so much, he relaxed against Kohaku, feeling how the taller man moved more carefully while eating, not to make him lose his balance. "You okay?"

"Mmh? Why wouldn't I be?" the blonde replied.

"Dunno," Kohaku said, his mouth full of spaghetti. "You went quiet suddenly."

"Low energy levels, I guess." A soft sigh. "Or your barely-cooked spaghetti is taking a big effort to digest." That last line ended in a chuckle, which proved to be enough to stop Kohaku's worries. Instead, the violinist quickly finished his dinner and then gave the blonde a somewhat appraising look.

"Wanna come to the kitchen? As a training before I take you outside tomorrow."

"Yeah!" Immediately, he had forgotten all about his tiredness, and sat up straight. "That'd be great!"

"Then I'll carry the plates and glasses," Eles offered. "Eh, where will you put him?"

"On the dining table?"

Although she seemed amused by that idea, she shook her head. "I'll do the dishes on my own, you'd better keep holding him. That's probably better for his back."

"And not to mention; my ego," Lucille added dryly.

"Okay then, let's go." Quickly, Kohaku stood up, and then gently wrapped the bed-sheets around Lucille's slender body. "Just tell me if you need to lay back down, okay?" The singer nodded, and Kohaku carefully lifted him into his arms. It felt somewhat scary, since he was too wrapped up in a blanket to be able to catch himself if he'd fall. But it was Kohaku who was holding him, so he knew he wouldn't be dropped. Probably. Either way, he easily relaxed in his friend's arms, resting his head onto the violinist's shoulders.

"Wow, it's small," was his first remark, when he saw the living-room. He hadn't came any further before than his and Kohaku's bedroom, and the toilet, so he had seen this house was small. But considering the places where they usually stayed, this really was small in comparison. "Quite cozy, though."

"Yeah, well. It's not like we'll need a lot of space while we're here," Kohaku explained. "The only thing that mattered, was that it was in a calm spot, and that we could move in immediately."

"Mmh." Lucille nodded, closing his eyes for a moment when the violinist suddenly turned around. "Not so fast, please."

"Sorry. Just wanted to show you the kitchen."

Which meant a small part of the room with kitchen equipment, and a small dining table, and also the place where Eles was currently washing the plates and other stuff they had used for dinner. It did look just as cozy as the rest of the room, though, with the wooden floor and brick walls. It looked warm. Warmer than the cold white tiles and pillars from the castle where he had grown up. "It really looks nice here," he remarked softly. "Really… like it has people living in it."

"It has, so how else could it look?" Kohaku replied.

"Well, the royal castle has always been… kinda lifeless. Large, bright and clean, yes. But it never looked… home-like. Even my own room, when I was a child, looked so cliché like a rich boy's room, it wasn't even fun to be in there. I only felt like a decoration. Like people in general weren't there to live there, but only to make the rooms and hallways look prettier." He smiled bitterly. "Well, that was something I was used to in general, at that time."

To his surprise, Kohaku gave him a tender kiss onto his head. "Well, I gotta admit you're beautiful to look at, but it's the inside that makes me love you."

Unsure how to respond, Lucille smiled thankfully. "That… that's nice."

"It was supposed to be," Kohaku chuckled. "By the way, do you wanna look through the window? We're in a big forest, it looks pretty nice with the snow." Lucille nodded enthusiastically, and the violinist carried him to the largest window, in the middle of the wall.

Lucille's eyes widened as he looked outside. There were gigantic, snow covered trees all around the small house, one small path leading from the front door to inside the forest, probably in the direction of the village. The snow still fell slowly from the sky, making it look even more beautiful, and some birds were flying around, looking for bugs and small animals in the cold weather. "Wow," he sighed. "It's so… pure. I mean, there's only one small path, and the rest is all made by nature itself."

"Yeah, it's awesome, isn't it?" Eles responded, putting away the last plate. "They're no small trees, though, so we'll have to buy a tree for Christmas."

"But they're cheap enough," Kohaku added, when Lucille looked at him. "Don't worry."

"I hope it'll still be snowing once it's Christmas," the blonde remarked. "That'd definitely give the right mood."

"It doesn't seem like it'll stop anytime soon. According to my boss, it usually snows here all the way from November until February," Eles told them. "So we'll surely have a white Christmas."

"Great." Lucille smiled softly. He'd never had a real Christmas before, and there was no guarantee that they'd ever have the opportunity to have another one. So this one just had to be perfect, or at least, as perfect as it could get. Trying too hard wouldn't be good either, he knew that, but he'd try as best as he could. The only thing that still bugged him, was that he couldn't go to the marketplace to buy his friends a gift. Kohaku would never agree on carrying him all the way to there, not in this cold. And besides, he didn't want either of his friends to already know beforehand if he'd buy them something.

But he might be able to make them something, though. The only trick was, that he'd have to do that at a moment that Kohaku wouldn't notice, which was practically impossible. Maybe he could distract him? Or just think of something that he could make within an hour, so he'd be able to do it when the violinist had to go to the marketplace. That wasn't such a bad idea.

"Lucille?" Worriedly, Kohaku looked at him. "Are you tired?"

"No, just… staring at the snow," Lucille lied swiftly, smiling apologetically. "I don't want to get back to bed yet, it's more fun to be lying in your arms like this." That managed to make the taller man smile almost shyly. "Can't we sit here on the couch for a while? So you don't have to keep killing your back."

"You barely weight more than the bed-sheets you're wrapped in," the violinist commented. "Trust me, my back is fine." He did walk to the couch, though. "We can sit down, if you really want to. But I won't let you get out of my arms." Lucille just nodded, and stayed at still as he could as Kohaku sat down. His legs were hanging half off the couch now, his side leaning comfortably against the taller man's chest. Granted; this was more comfortable indeed, for both of them, even if Kohaku didn't admit that.

"Shall I make some hot chocolate milk?" Eles offered suddenly. "My boss gave me some, as a holiday-gift."

"Sounds good," Lucille accepted enthusiastically.

Kohaku also nodded, and then warned Lucille not to burn his mouth. "I don't know how you handle hot drinks. But since I'll have to hold it for you, tell me if it's still too hot."

"I will," the blonde nodded. "And I don't burn my mouth that easily, by the way." He always guessed the use of his voice had practiced his throat enough to make it able to withstand a lot. Okay, his mouth was a different story, but he'd never given himself time to allow drinks to cool down first, so he was used to boiling hot drinks.

"So, you really like it here?" the violinist asked, sounding almost unsure.

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I?" Lucille asked surprised.

"Well, I've always been used to small cottages and stuff. But you grew up in a castle, and whenever we have to stay somewhere for an assignment, we almost always have large rooms."

"I'm not as spoiled as that makes me sound. After what I told you while we were on that ship, and what I told just now about the lifelessness of that castle, you should know I don't judge a place by how large and expensive it is." He sighed. "This house is really small, but it's warm and cozy. It makes me feel safe and at home, and that's what matters, right?" Honestly, during their journeys he'd never had any preference between sleeping in a huge, lifeless mansion, or sleeping in the tiny space of their car. That alone, already said enough.

"I gotta admit, I never really paid any attention to it. I only thought of having a practical place where you could recover, so I didn't notice at all how the house actually looked. But you're right, it does feel safe here." Carefully, he rearranged the blonde's position a bit, so he was sitting up rather than being slumped against the taller man. Lucille closed his eyes a moment during the movement, apparently having some trouble to keep them open. "You getting tired?"

"Yeah, a bit," the singer admitted. "Besides, you're warm and quite comfortable, you know?"

"You've told me that some times," Kohaku grinned, and gently hugged the blonde. "And you're pretty nice to hold." At that, the blonde chuckled.

Within minutes, Eles came back to the couch, now carrying three cups of hot chocolate milk. "Be careful, it's hot," she warned, while putting the cups down onto the small table. Since there was only one couch, she sat down next to Kohaku, Lucille's legs lying half on her lap and her arms folded on top of them.

"Mmh, even more warmth," the singer sighed gratefully.

"Yeah, we're all at your service," Kohaku chuckled. Lucille smiled softly, his eyes half-closed. "Try not to fall asleep before your drink has cooled down, okay?"

"I'm trying already." He sighed again, resting his head against Kohaku's neck. "Mmh, but this really is comfortable."

Honestly, he wouldn't mind it at all to sit here all through the night, with the frail singer wrapped in his arms. Not that he'd even admit such things out loud, of course. Still, he couldn't help but to smile when the blonde caught hold of his arm again, holding it close while not even noticing it himself. "I'm gonna need that arm to feed you your chocolate milk, babe."

"It hasn't cooled down yet, right?" Lucille mumbled. "Besides, I wanna hold you too." His grip was weak, but he evidently didn't plan on letting go anytime soon. So to make it easier on him, Kohaku just laid his arm against the blonde's chest voluntarily, feeling how the smaller man relaxed a bit more. It truly did look cute, and Kohaku heard an 'Aww' coming from Eles. Geez, like Lucille was some kind of puppy. He was way cuter than even a puppy could ever be. He caught himself thinking that, and felt his cheeks heating up a bit. Since when did he became such a sensitive guy?

Looking at the blonde, he knew what had made him less cold and uncaring. The way that, underneath that fake smile and empty jokes, he'd always known Lucille also had a vulnerable side. Now that he knew how badly hurt and lonely that side of the singer truly was, Kohaku somehow felt the need to take care of him, to make sure he'd never feel like a tool again. He was way more than a beautiful doll with an amazing voice. He was also one of the sweetest, most caring person Kohaku had ever met, and the violinist felt he had to protect that, to give Lucille the trust to show that side of his personality to the rest of the world again.

It would have been nice if the singer wouldn't have gotten shot during that process, though.

"I think it's cold enough now," Eles suddenly remarked, startling Kohaku from his thoughts. It took him a moment to realize she was talking about the hot chocolate.

"Lucille?" The blonde nodded in response and let go of the violinist's arm. Kohaku carefully leaned over to grab one of the cups, and then let Lucille drink a bit, even more carefully. "Is it not too hot?"

"No, it's perfect," the singer replied quickly, then drinking a bit again. "And sweet." It took some time, but he managed to drink the entire cup. Silently, he let Kohaku put it back onto the table, but then suddenly mumbled somewhat guilty; "Sorry, because you had to feed me, now yours is cold."

"I don't mind," Kohaku replied, starting to drink his chocolate milk. Even though it was cold now, it did taste good. "Besides, I don't 'have' to feed you first. I choose to do so. There's no reason for you to say sorry." Quickly, he finished his drink and put the cup back down onto the table. "So, let's put you back to bed now." To his surprise, the blonde didn't even object against it, he just nodded softly and closed his eyes. Meaning he really did feel sleepy. Well, warm milk had a habit of having that effect on people, that was a fact. "Wanna come along?" he asked Eles.

"Sure," the girl nodded, and together they walked to Lucille and Kohaku's bedroom. The blonde had already almost fallen asleep in Kohaku's arms, barely responding when he was being put down onto the bed, and Eles carefully unwrapped him from the blankets, putting them as they belonged. He only let out a faint sigh when the violinist gave him a soft kiss onto his mouth, and smiled sleepily. When Kohaku tenderly caressed the blonde's cheek for a few moments, he drifted off completely.

"Well, he's off to dreamland," Kohaku sighed, while walking towards the door. "I'll go clean those cups, can you stay with him for a while? If he wakes back up, just caress his hair or something, that usually work to make him fall back to sleep quickly."

"Okay," she agreed happily, obviously wanting to spend some more time with the singer, even if he wasn't even awake. That was only logical, though. Ever since she'd started traveling with them, they'd been together nearly all of the time. Now, though, she only saw him in the evenings, and he usually fell asleep early so she barely had the chance to chat with him. Well, spending time with someone asleep still was better than not spending time with him at all, Kohaku thought. And it wasn't a bad thing for Lucille either, to have someone at his side.

Washing the cups didn't take long, and when he came back into the room, Eles was gently caressing Lucille's long hair. "He was stirring a bit," she explained.

"Well, you seem to have calmed him down." Indeed, the blonde was lying completely relaxed now, only his eyelashes moving faintly as he dreamt. He carefully sat down next to her, on the edge of the bed, trying not to make the mattress move too much. It didn't seem to disturb Lucille at all, though, as the blonde kept laying perfectly still. "He must have really been tired."

"He hadn't been out of bed for over a month, so that's not really a surprise. Don't you think?" Eles said. "Even if you were carrying him, it must have been a big thing for him."

"Yeah," Kohaku nodded, then hesitated for a moment. She was still a child, but she had always been quite mature in her thinking. Might as well just share his worries with her. "That's why I'm kinda stressed out about taking him outside tomorrow," he admitted, softly stroking Lucille's silky hair. "He just looked so depressed, so I suggested it before thinking about it, because I knew that it would make him happy. But he seemed to be cold, even in the living-room, and he's so tired after only about an hour out of bed."

"But you can dress him in warm clothes, right?" Eles reminded him. "So he'll have more added warmth than he has now. It will undoubtedly be exhausting for him, but I think that won't compare to how glad he'll be to be outside again, especially if it's with you."

"Yeah. But I don't want him to catch a cold."

"Think about how disappointed he'd be if you'd tell him now that you won't take him outside. It's not like you have much of a choice left. All you can do is to dress him as warmly as possible, keep him wrapped in the blanket, and don't make it too long."

That were plain facts, and even Kohaku couldn't argue with those. Besides, he loved to see Lucille happy, and the blonde would definitely be very happy to be outside in the snow. And honestly, even though he wouldn't tell Eles that, he really wanted to see Lucille in the snow, with that porcelain skin, snowy blonde hair, and those crystal blue eyes. That would look amazing, he already knew that. Even if the blonde would be all wrapped up in blankets and wearing the thickest clothes he had.

"I'll go to my room now. Gotta work tomorrow, so I'll be out of bed early again," Eles announced, standing up just as carefully as Kohaku had sat down. This time, Lucille only sighed softly, but still didn't stir. "Sleep well."

"You too," Kohaku responded, giving her a friendly smile. Gladly, she smiled back before leaving the room. Lucille, meanwhile, sighed again and moved his head a bit. Probably dreaming, Kohaku thought. Hopefully it'd be a nice dream. And even if it were to be a nightmare, the blonde wasn't here alone, there was someone here who would comfort him. Tenderly, Kohaku gave his friend a kiss onto his forehead. "I'll get changed into my nightwear, and then I'll get into bed, okay?" he whispered inaudibly. "Just wait for a few more minutes, then I can hold you."

Indeed, the blonde didn't show any signs of experiencing a nightmare, during the time it took the violinist to get redressed. When Kohaku turned off the lights and crawled into bed, though, Lucille immediately moved towards him a bit. "I told you, just be patient," Kohaku chuckled, still inaudible, since he didn't want the blonde to wake up. Softly, he wrapped his arms around his friend's slender frame, feeling the smaller body relax against his own. Well, whatever dream Lucille was having, he seemed content with being held by someone. Which was good, at least it made it an easy task to let him sleep calmly.

"Goodnight, babe," he whispered, pressing his lips against Lucille's cheek.

"Goodnight… honey," the smaller man whispered back sleepily, snuggling closely against him.

"Wha… You were awake the entire time?" Kohaku stammered. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I didn't want Eles to worry," the blonde mumbled, explaining. "I woke up from some weird dream, which I don't even remember, but she started stroking my hair, so I thought it'd be best to just let her think I was still sleeping. And I was napping a bit while you were redressing, I just woke up again when you laid down."

"Then go back to sleep now," Kohaku growled. "Unless you want to be too tired tomorrow to go outside."

He heard Lucille chuckle in the darkness. "Okay, okay. I'll try to fall asleep as quickly as possible, happy now?"

"Not until you're in dreamland."

"Well then, grab a hammer and knock me out. That's the fastest way."

"And kill the only few brain-cells you have?" Kohaku teased, which made the blonde chuckle again. Especially in the darkness, the sound of that was nice to listen to. It sounded happy, warm and… loveable at the same time. "I love to hear you laughing," he admitted quietly, whispering it in Lucille's ear.

"Mmh… you're one of the few to hear me laughing in whatever true form that often." A deep sigh. "Glad you like it… but I think I'm gonna fall asleep again… pretty soon."

"Good, then I'll shut up now. Have nice dreams."

"Mmh… yeah. You too." His voice faded and his breathing slowly turned deep and even. After some minutes of just lying there and listening to it, Kohaku also felt himself drifting off. Exactly when his mind shut down in sleep, though, the blonde moved a bit, stirring Kohaku back to awareness. The blonde was now breathing directly into his face, soft and warm gusts of wind caressing his skin every few moments. It smelled, unsurprisingly, like hot chocolate milk. Well, nothing to complain about, and it didn't take long until Kohaku finally did fall asleep, his face almost touching Lucille's.

"Mmh…" He sighed deeply as someone shook at his shoulder. "Wanna sleep… stop it…"

"But the sun is already up," someone nagged. Lucille, Kohaku realized, slowly opening his eyes to glare at his friend. "Please get up, I really want to go outside," the blonde begged, his eyes a lot more clear and sparkly than Kohaku had seen them in the past few days.

"We'll have breakfast first." It came out as a sleepy groan. "Once I've woken up fully, that is."

"Sorry, for waking you up so suddenly," Lucille said, actually sounding like he meant it. "But I had been waiting for almost half an hour already."

"You're supposed to be getting enough sleep, moron."

"I know, but I can't help it if I wake up early and just can't fall back to sleep."

A short silence, in which Kohaku slowly sat up. "Well, I suppose you're right," he sighed. "I'll go make breakfast, then I'll redress you into something warmer. And then we can go walk outside, but only for a few minutes."

"Yay!" A bright smile appeared on Lucille's face, and the violinist couldn't help but to smile back. Despite the annoyance of being woken up while he was still pretty tired, the happiness in the singer's eyes prove to be enough to defeat his bad mood. Quickly, he got dressed and left for the kitchen, walking back to the bedroom only minutes later. This probably were the fastest made sandwiches ever, but Lucille didn't seem to care. "Kohaku?" he asked, suddenly seeming shy.

"Yeah?" No complaints about the somewhat messy sandwiches, please.

"Can you help me to the toilet again?"

Ah, that explained the shy tone. "Sure." Already having finished his own sandwich, he waited patiently until Lucille was done too. "Shall I stay in front of the door again?"

"Yeah, thanks."

Okay, this would never stop being awkward. In silence, Kohaku lifted the blonde into his arms and carried him to the toilet. Lucille's legs were still like jelly, and he had to keep him standing while Lucille undid his pants. After sitting him down onto the toilet seat, Kohaku stepped out into the hallway and closed the door. "Just tell me once you're done," he said.

"Okay." It went awkwardly silent for some moments. "Kohaku?" Lucille then softly asked.

"Yeah? You're done already?" That'd be a bit too quick.

"No," the singer indeed replied. "I just… Well… Just so you know, it doesn't embarrass me to need your help to go to the toilet. So please don't feel awkward about it, 'cause that makes me feel awkward too."

That painfully honest question silenced Kohaku for a short moment. "Sorry, I didn't mean to. Actually, I was afraid of making you feel awkward, so that made me unsure of how to act."

A soft chuckle. "Well, then let's just both stop being scared of embarrassing the other. Okay?"

"Okay, babe."

"An don't call me 'babe' when I'm taking a crap."

"Sure, Lucy," Kohaku teased.

"Do you want me to take that crap out there and throw it at you?" came the dry response.

"I only have to stand about five feet away from you to be safe," the violinist grinned.

A short silence, which made Kohaku worry for a moment if he hadn't gone too far this time. "Bastard," Lucille finally responded, his voice muffled by laughter. "You complete bastard!" His grin widening, the violinist realized that this 'conversation' had perfectly managed to make all tension between them disappear fully. Now he only hoped that the blonde wouldn't actually take revenge.

Soon after, Lucille was done and carefully opened the door after managing to clean himself and pull up his pants. Gently, Kohaku held the blonde's shoulders to keep him standing while slowly fastening his pants. "You know, it's a good sign that you can do that on your own already," he remarked softly.

"Only my strength has pretty much disappeared while in that coma," Lucille explained. "I didn't lose any skills of how to move." Done with fastening his pants, he looked up at Kohaku. "So, will you help me get into warmer clothes now?"

"Yeah, and I'll also brush your hair, while we're at it." Gently, he lifted the blonde into his arms and carried him back to the bedroom. "I'll take off your pajamas first, okay?"

"Hm, can I try how far I can get by myself?" Lucille asked, almost unsurely. "Then you can already start picking the clothes you want me to wear."

He suddenly imagined Lucille in tight, leather pants. Possibly with some leather gloves… "Trust me, you don't want me to do that," he mumbled, feeling his cheeks heating up. "I'll just stick with finding warm clothes."

"What were you thinking about?" the singer asked, looking at him curiously.

"Never mind!" To hide his blush, Kohaku quickly went to Lucille's suitcase to search.

"What?"

"Let's just say it involved a lot of leather," the violinist grumbled, feeling Lucille's gaze upon his back.

A short silence. "I'll wear it if you do," the chuckled response finally came. "But just leather would be cold outside, indeed."

"Yeah…" Luckily, Lucille didn't push the subject any further, and instead started trying to get out of his pajamas. Careful not to make a mess out of it, Kohaku searched for warm clothes. It actually surprised him a bit how few clothes Lucille really had. He always seemed to have different outfits for every occasion, but those had been just smart combinations of shirts, pants, vests and jackets. Well, at least he soon spotted some thick, sky-blue pants and a fluffy white sweater. Combined with a sleeveless beige vest and a long, dark-blue coat it would definitely be warm enough. On the bottom of the suitcase, he also found some warm, black boots. Leather, he noticed with a faint blush. Well, those would be fine too, in combination with a pair of thick white socks.

When he turned around, he nearly dropped the pile of clothes in his arms when his gaze fell upon the bed. The singer was laying there on his back, only in his underwear, which meant he was practically naked apart from his private parts. "Eh, are these okay?" he asked quickly, before Lucille could comment on him staring.

"Sure, they're warm." The scar in his abdomen was covered by his hand, and Kohaku couldn't help but to wonder whether that was because it hurt, or just because the blonde didn't like seeing it. "Using the muscles there still makes it sore," Lucille explained, probably having noticed the violinist's look. "My hands are pretty cold, so that helps easing it."

"Well, just relax then." Quickly but carefully, Kohaku dressed his friend before making him sit up again even more carefully to brush his long hair. "Shall I braid it?"

"Okay, that'd keep it more tidy. Can you make two braids then? One in the back might get annoying when you're carrying me around."

"Will do. Wait…" Quickly, he went to Lucille's suitcase to get two rubber bands. "Okay, sit still." Fast but neatly, he made two long braids in the singer's hair, secretly enjoying the feeling of that silky blonde hair sliding through his fingers. "Done," he announced after some minutes.

"Thanks," the singer smiled. "Then, can we go now?"

"Sure, babe." After wrapping the singer into a blanket, he carefully lifted him into his arms and started walking to the front door.

* * *

**So, next chapter Lucille will finally be outside again :D And sorry for Kohaku's little fantasy about Lucille's clothing, I gotta admit I've got a bit of a leather-fetish ^^' Blame it on the hotness of the rockstars from the '80s ;3**

**I'll update next week^^**


	14. First date

SEQUEL TO "A RETURN TO THE SEA" This makes no sense unless you've read that one already.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters.

Please R&R

* * *

"Cold," Lucille sighed when Kohaku carefully managed to open the door without dropping the singer. "It looks beautiful, though."

"Yeah," Kohaku replied, looking at the singer's beautiful face, those happily sparkling blue eyes and his snowy blonde hair, which looked even shinier than the snow around him. "But you're even more beautiful."

"Ah… T-thanks," the blonde mumbled, his cheeks turning a bit red. "Eh, can we walk a bit more into the forest?"

"Sure." After closing the door behind them, Kohaku started walking onto the small path between the trees. "We should stay on the path, though. I don't wanna get lost in this weather."

"It's fine by me, at least I'm outside," Lucille responded with a smile. "Mmh… it even smells like forest!"

He couldn't suppress a chuckle at that remark. "It'd be strange if it wouldn't smell like that."

It hadn't even been that funny, but Lucille still laughed lightly, his clear voice echoing between the trees. Somehow, all the doubts Kohaku had been having about taking him outside, disappeared by that. Seeing the blonde this happy, this exited, this almost childishly care-free… that made it all worth it. "Kohaku, please let me try to walk a bit," the singer suddenly begged. "Please, I wanna walk in the snow."

"But…" Those damned puppy-eyes. "Well, okay. But I'm keeping you against me." Whatever happened, he couldn't let the blonde get cold, or let him trip and fall in the snow. "Be careful!" he warned, gently lowering the singer's feet to the ground. Good thing he had made him wear those thick leather boots. Beside warmth, they'd probably also give the singer some support.

Still, he stood about as steadily as a newborn foal, leaning heavily against the violinist. "Can we hang the blanket in a tree for a moment? It's kinda making this harder."

"Say so if you get cold." Carefully, Kohaku unwrapped his friend and hung the blanket over a lower branch of a nearby tree. It wasn't exactly like there were any possible thieves around anyway. He had to admit, the singer looked even better without the blanket around him, even though the somewhat tight clothes did reveal how thin he really was. Gently, he wrapped his arms around Lucille's shoulders to steady him without making this any harder on him. "You wanna try walking a few steps?"

"Yeah." Slowly, Lucille stepped forward, his legs nearly collapsing underneath him. Kohaku moved along with him, though, making sure the blonde wouldn't fall. "Geez, my legs are weaker than I thought." It sounded slightly annoyed, but he was clearly enjoying it to walk around a bit. Carefully, he took another step. "Ouch…" His legs trembling too badly now to support him, he slumped back against Kohaku. "Well, that's start."

"It is. But don't exhaust yourself, okay? Do you want to walk on, or shall I carry you a bit further?"

"A bit further would be nice," Lucille sighed. "But I don't think my body can take that, not yet." The bright smile didn't leave his face though. "Kohaku…" Now, those amazing crystal-blue eyes were aimed at the violinist. "Thank you so much for allowing me to go out. And thanks for letting me walk a bit." A faint chuckle. "Eh, I'd like to kiss you, but I can't reach that high."

"Come here then." Gently, Kohaku took the singer back into his arms, holding him tightly against his chest. "I love you, babe."

"Mmh… I love you too." Barely allowing himself to finish that line, Lucille lifted up his head and pressed his lips against Kohaku's, kissing him long and tender. "Mmh…" His eyes drifting shut, he broke their kiss and rested his head on the violinist's shoulders. "Tired…"

"No wonder, this has been more exercise than you've had in over a month." He honestly were proud at the singer, though, for at least trying so hard to walk again. "You really did do well, you know?"

"T-thanks." Almost seeming shy, Lucille blushed. "Don't forget the blanket, by the way. I'm a bit cold now."

Quickly, Kohaku wrapped the blanket back around Lucille's body, careful not to let him fall and get injured by anything. "Do you wanna go back?"

"Mmh… not yet. It's nice here." A wide yawn. "Can we walk a bit further, please?"

"But if you're tired…" A pleading look from those beautiful big eyes interrupted him. "Well, okay then," he sighed. "Where do you wanna go?"

"Mmh… a bit more towards the village? Not to the marketplace or anything, it'd be kind of awkward to be seen like this. But I'd like to see that village, even if only from a distance."

That'd be a ten minute walk, at least. Fifteen minutes, probably, since he was carrying the singer. But technically, Lucille didn't have to do a thing, and as long as he didn't get cold there wouldn't be any problems. "Sure," the violinist agreed. "But…"

"I'll tell you if I get cold," the singer replied, before the taller man had even finished his question. "But right now, I'm more than warm enough."

Kohaku only smiled at him a bit sheepishly. Honestly, he didn't want to get annoying by being so protective. But fact was, that the singer had almost died and was only at the start of recovering. If he'd get a cold, no matter how slight, it could push his already weakened body over the edge. And even though Kohaku really wanted to make sure the blonde had a good time, that just wouldn't be worth it.

For some time, they walked in silence. Not an uncomfortable one, it was more like neither one of them felt the need to say anything, to spoil the deep snowy silence of the forest. Even Kohaku's footsteps barely made a sound, with how carefully he was walking not to slip in the snow, and it startled them both when suddenly a bird twittered somewhere near. "So there is still something living here," Lucille grinned, apparently rather amused by how a small bird had nearly managed to scare them.

"Not if it dares to do that again," Kohaku growled, but unable to hide a soft chuckle. "Geez."

"Oh, is that the village already?" Lucille suddenly asked, the bird apparently forgotten.

"Yeah." Well, the first house at least. The village laid behind it, small but lively, and the marketplace was visible from here. "When you can walk by yourself again, we can go there. If you'd like to, that is."

"Sounds like fun," Lucille immediately responded. "I didn't know there were this many people living here."

"There aren't. But there are other, even smaller villages around. Those people come to shop here too," Kohaku explained. "Still, it isn't too crowded or anything. Just busy enough, so it's possible to go there without dragging attention." Even though they weren't on an assignment here, he still preferred to keep a low profile. Not for any particular reason, for him it was just a natural way of living. Lucille, on the other hand, had a habit of automatically drag all attention towards himself, even if he didn't want to. Well, Kohaku had to admit the blonde was indeed remarkable, with his undoubtedly beautiful appearance and somewhat eccentric way of acting.

Still, if any guy would dare to stare at Lucille too long, the violinist would probably try to scare him off, one way or another.

"Someone's looking," the blonde remarked softly, pointing through the blanket at a spot in the marketplace.

"Eh?" A bit alarmed, Kohaku followed his look, but then recognized the woman from who he had bought the plush toys. "She owns one of the stands," he told the blonde. "I bought something from her, and I mentioned you. So that's probably why she's looking."

"What did you say about me?"

"Well…" He felt his cheeks heating up a bit. "Just that you're my friend. So."

The blonde chuckled softly, definitely noticing Kohaku's discomfort. "Ah, you bought something secret?" Kohaku glared at him. "Okay, I'll stop asking." That grin alone was annoying enough already.

"Hello there!" the lady from the market greeted friendly.

A bit startled, Kohaku looked up. Damn, he hadn't even seen her walking towards them. "Eh, hello."

"So, is this that 'friend' you were talking about yesterday?" she asked enthusiastically. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," Lucille replied politely, his cheeks having heated up a bit at the way she had spoken the word 'friend'. What exactly had Kohaku told her?

"He's just as cute as you said he is. Though he doesn't seem like an average blonde moron."

"What the Hell did you say about me?" Lucille giggled, at seeing Kohaku's look of horror.

"Eh… Well… I was just looking for… something… The subject just came up, okay?" That only succeeded in amusing both Lucille and the marketplace lady even more.

"Well, whatever he said, it's clear he loves you," the lady said, probably feeling some pity towards Kohaku.

"Yeah, and whatever he calls me, I love him too," Lucille grinned. "He's just a bit… shy about it."

"Well, we should go back soon, he shouldn't get cold," Kohaku quickly tried to change the subject.

"Ah, already?" Lucille sighed. Despite his eagerness to be outside for a little longer, though, he had to admit he felt exhausted and the snow falling on his face was becoming a bit unpleasant. Besides, it was already passed lunchtime, and he was starting to feel a bit hungry. "Can we go outside again tomorrow?"

"We'll see," the violinist replied. "That depends on the weather and how long it takes you to be all rested again."

"Well then, I hope I'll see you again," the marketplace lady greeted.

"Yeah, bye," Kohaku greeted back, and Lucille gave her a bright smile while the violinist already walked away. "Lucille, are you still okay?"

"Just tired. And a bit hungry." He rested his head on Kohaku's shoulder again. "But… walking around in the snow with the person you love…" A happy smile graced his face. "It's just as romantic as I thought, even though that conversation just now was only funny."

"Let's hope we can take a real walk in the snow next year. When you're all healed up and I'm not so scared anymore about you getting injured or sick."

"So…" To Kohaku's worry, the singer suddenly sounded a bit hurt. "You didn't enjoy it now? I mean, it's not like this is the best possible situation, not by far, but… to me it felt really special. Like… my first real 'date' ever. So…" He trailed off, seemingly unsure of what to say next. "We don't have to go again, if you really don't want to."

"That's not it," the violinist quickly tried to reassure him. "I did enjoy it, especially when you walked those few steps on your own feet. It's just…" He smiled sheepishly. "Well, I guess I'm just too scared of you getting hurt again. I mean, you're the first person I ever truly loved. So I don't ever want to see you getting hurt again."

"Kohaku…" Weakly, the singer moved against him a bit, reaching up just enough to kiss the taller man. "I'm not going to break," he then whispered. "I do heal rather quickly, you know."

"You've been dead to the world for a month, babe. Even you can't be expected to be back to a hundred percent within a little over a week."

"Hm." Lucille just smiled sleepily, apparently too tired to want to discuss any further. So instead, Kohaku just tightened his grip on the thin blonde and felt his friend going limp as he drifted off. It looked kind of cute, actually, Lucille sleeping with the snow still falling quietly around him, and his soft breaths forming small clouds. The thing that made the whole view perfect, though, was the faint smile still lingering on his face.

Even though the blonde needed his rest, Kohaku did wake him once they had gotten home. He needed to make Lucille eat some lunch, but more importantly, he didn't want to redress the singer while he was asleep. It'd seem wrong, somehow, and the violinist would feel embarrassed if the blonde would wake up halfway through the process. Still, it wasn't like Lucille was exactly awake while Kohaku dressed him back into nightwear. Instead, he just laid on bed limply, his eyes already closed, and only moving when the violinist asked him to.

"I'll go make some lunch, all right?" Kohaku said, worriedly waiting for a reply.

"Okay." It was only a faint mumble, but at least he had responded. Still, it didn't fully convince the taller man, being a bit scared that the trip outside had been too much for Lucille's body after all. The singer seemed to sense his stress, though, suddenly opening his eyes and smiling up at him. "I'm just tired, honey. Don't be so worried, I'll be fine once I've slept for a few hours. That was to be expected, right?"

"Yeah." Kohaku smiled softly, before gently giving the singer a short kiss. "Just as it was to be expected that I'd be worried anyway."

* * *

**I'll update soon^^**


	15. Here with me

SEQUEL TO "A RETURN TO THE SEA" This makes no sense unless you've read that one already.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters.

Please R&R

* * *

Lucille had fallen asleep as soon as Kohaku was done redressing him into his nightclothes, and still slept deeply when the violinist came back into the bedroom with two plates. Deciding to make something a little more special this time, he had made some grilled cheese sandwiches, hoping the warmth would do the singer some good. Granted, the blonde hadn't complained about being cold since they had returned to the house, but still. It had been cold outside, Lucille had done more physical work than he had done for over a month, and letting him eat something warm after all that would only do him good.

"Hey, babe." Softly, he shook the singer's shoulder, after putting down the plates. "Wake up, you gotta eat."

"Mmh? Ah, okay." Letting out a deep sigh, Lucille tried to sit up unsuccessfully. "Damn, I'm tired," he chuckled, lying on his back somewhat awkwardly. "Eh, a little bit of help wouldn't hurt." He sheepishly looked up at Kohaku, his bright blue eyes showing a faint annoyance.

"Sorry," the violinist mumbled, realizing he had responded a bit slow. Carefully, he helped the singer to sit up with his back leaning against a cushion against the wall. "You all right like that?"

"Yeah." The blonde smiled faintly at him. "And I didn't mean to sound unfriendly to you. It just bothers me that I'm exhausted so easily. I mean, you were carrying me nearly the entire time, and still I'm too tired out now to even sit up on my own. That's… rather frustrating."

"Well, I made grilled cheese sandwiches," Kohaku said. "I don't think that'll help your energy levels much, but it might help your mood."

At that, Lucille grinned. "It might, indeed." Smiling back at the blonde, relieved that he appeared to be in a better mood already, Kohaku at down next to him and gave him his plate. "Mmh, smells good!"

"Can you eat on own?"

"I can at least try," the blonde responded immediately. Slowly, he picked up a sandwich. Even though it seemed to take an effort to him to lift his arm up high enough, he did manage to eat properly. "You should make this more often," he commented surprised. "It tastes really good."

He sounded so surprised, that Kohaku almost felt offended. "Yeah, I will."

"Not that your cooking doesn't usually tastes well enough," the singer chuckled. "But it's usually… average. But these sandwiches are truly good."

"T-thanks, I guess." Great, now he almost felt shy. Geez, how did the blonde manage to have that effect on him each time? Well, he had to admit that was obvious. Lucille was probably the only person in the world, which opinion actually mattered to Kohaku. Simply because the blonde was the only one who he truly loved with all his heart, who he'd easily give up anything for.

The rest of the meal went in silence, Kohaku being unsure of what to say, and Lucille simply content with having no obligation to talk. He did finish his entire sandwich without complaining, though, and even kept awake until Kohaku was done too. The violinist felt how completely relaxed the blonde was leaning against him, though, and knew that he'd be asleep as soon as Kohaku would help him lie down. It was somewhat… cute, actually. After putting his now empty plate down on the nightstand, he gently started caressing Lucille's cheeks, then combing his fingers through some loose strands in the soft blonde hair.

"Do you want me to take out those braids?" he asked.

"Nah, they're still okay." The singer yawned widely, giving Kohaku an excellent view on his white teeth and his throat.

"Hey, I can almost see inside your stomach from here," the violinist teased, softly poking at the blonde's side as if he were some test-subject.

Lucille tried to glare at him, but couldn't fight the urge to laugh for long. "Moron! Geez…" Still grinning, he pulled at Kohaku's hair. Though he seemed to have trouble lifting his arm so high up, apparently he considered it worth the effort. "Aren't you glad you could see that sandwich being digested?"

"It truly brightened my day," Kohaku nodded, trying to sound serious but failing completely. Tenderly, he wrapped his arms around the singer's thin body and kissed him deeply. "Mmh… but nothing beats kissing you."

"Then… do it again?" Kohaku did as he was asked more than eagerly, feeling the blonde weakly holding on to him and pressing himself closely against the violinist. "Mmh…" That soft sound coming from the singer, sent a pleasant shiver through Kohaku's body. Geez, he shouldn't let himself be so affected by that. Not yet, at least, not while Lucille was still too weak to… 'do' anything with. Well, anything beside this.

But honestly, kissing Lucille felt better somehow, that any night spend with some woman ever had. Not that he was such a player, he'd only done it a few times, but it had felt like work in a way. Just something that grown-up people were supposed to do. To him, those few times had been like getting drunk. Being able to forget everything else for a moment, knowing it'd be worth nothing by the time the next morning would arrive. Kissing Lucille felt so much more true, so much more like something that would last forever. It didn't as much touch him physically, but so much more mentally.

The fact that it was Lucille who granted him the privilege to kiss him, that thought by itself was already enough to make him feel happy and grateful. The singer was so closed-up, so much like a lifeless doll who just did everything to finish its mission, unable to do or feel anything real. Right, he'd smile and be friendly, he'd even flirt if it'd get them any further on their assignment, but none of that meant anything considering his true purposes. He didn't do things because they honestly felt right, or because he really wanted to. He did them because they needed to be done to accomplish what he wanted, which had nothing to do with the initial action or situation he was in.

But since that ship, since Lucille had told him more about his past, it had been different.

Sure, he'd probably still act the same to anyone they'd meet on future assignments, and he wasn't even fully honest towards Eles. But to Kohaku, he was true almost all the time. He didn't hide his feelings and weaknesses. He didn't discretely keep his distance, both physically but mainly emotionally. Instead, he allowed the violinist to touch him, hold him, and did the same himself. Moreover, they didn't lie about their feelings to each other, not to the same extend as before. And he did all that, not because of an assignment, neither to accomplish something only he knew about, but because he truly wanted to. When he smiled now, it was because he really felt happy. When he said something, he really meant just that.

When he hugged or kissed Kohaku, it really was because of love. And that love was undoubtedly mutual.

"Mmh… K-Kohaku… I need to breath…" Reluctantly, the singer broke their kiss, resting his head against the taller man's chest, panting softly.

"Are you all right?" Tenderly, Kohaku started combing through the singer's hair with his fingers, using his free arm to support that slender body.

The blonde smiled faintly. "Tired. But happy." A sigh. "I just didn't want that kiss to end. Ever."

To his own embarrassment, Kohaku felt the sudden urge to hug him like some teenage girl. But this moment was way too special to ruin it with something like that. "Well, whenever you want to kiss, I'm available. Available, and very willing to."

That succeeded in making the singer chuckle softly. "Trust me, I'll be keeping you to that promise," he mumbled, before yawning again.

Smiling softly, Kohaku hugged him a bit closer. Even though he rather enjoying this conversation, fact was that the blonde felt exhausted and needed to sleep. If he'd just keep holding him like this, Lucille would almost definitely fall asleep before too long, his eyes already drifting shut now. Some moments later, his grip on Kohaku's shirt loosened, and his arms limply dropped down onto the bed. He seemed to be shaken awake by that a bit, stirring weakly before relaxing again. A short time later, his breath went deep and even.

Still, Kohaku sat with him for a some minutes longer, not only unsure if the singer was already sleeping deeply enough not to wake up again if being lied down onto the bed, but also because he couldn't deny the fact that he enjoyed holding the blonde while he slept. A faintly uncomfortable feeling stirred in his stomach for a moment, when he remembered holding Lucille in that small boat when the navy had brought them and other passengers to the nearest hospital. But that had been so different from now, Lucille had been barely alive, unable to even breathe on his own, and so cold. Right now, his breathing was steadily and his body felt as soft and warm as usual. Most importantly, right now Kohaku felt comfortable. Which was nothing like how he had felt back then.

"Pff…" the singer sighed in his sleep, shivering softly. Carefully, Kohaku laid him down onto the mattress and then pulled up the sheets. That'd be warmer for the singer than to sit here. On second thought, though… Carefully he laid down against the blonde and wrapped his arms around the slender body. This would definitely be warm enough.

* * *

**Short and late, I know… I was too busy with Christmas last week ^^;**

**I'll update soon (next chapter is almost done already) ^^**


	16. Close to you

SEQUEL TO "A RETURN TO THE SEA" This makes no sense unless you've read that one already.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters.

Please R&R

* * *

Christmas. Finally. Since they didn't exactly had the luxury to buy a lot of food and gifts, they had decided to only really celebrate Christmas day, not the evening before or the second day. Honestly, Kohaku didn't mind that one bit, considering the fact he felt somewhat unsure about how to act during Christmas. Okay, people were supposed to be nice to each other, and spend those days 'together', but acting like happy little family just wasn't his thing at all. He'd never even had a true happy family, so he had never even gotten the chance to learn how to behave 'pleasantly'.

But then again, neither had Lucille. Well, the blonde probably had enough experience in acting friendly and well-behaved, but that was just acting. Conclusion; Eles was the only one of them three who wasn't a holiday-newbie. She had been living in a somewhat normal family, before the guignol virus had began to spread in the town where she grew up. Maybe even better than normal, since her family had enough money those days, to buy anything they wanted. Well, not that money was supposed to matter anyway.

Letting out a somewhat frustrated sigh, Kohaku looked at the singer, who was sleeping quietly against his side. If only that was all that he worried about. At least that would be understandable, it'd even be possible to talk about it without feeling embarrassed. That couldn't be said about the other thing he worried about, though.

Last night, when Lucille and Eles had already gone to sleep, he'd secretly put their presents underneath the Christmas tree. For the rest of the night, though, he'd been worrying whether Lucille would like it or not. Really, giving a plush unicorn to an adult man was kind of strange, wasn't it? Okay, the blonde had seemed eager to hold on to something while he slept, uncaring whether it was a pillow or one of Kohaku's arms, but that didn't mean he wouldn't feel embarrassed by it. What if Lucille really would feel embarrassed about it? What if he'd think Kohaku had only bought it to tease him?

"Mmh…" A soft sigh came from the blonde, startling the violinist. Damn, it was too early in the morning to be awake already. Still, couldn't time go any slower? Why hadn't he just bought something else, like… Oh, right. Because there wasn't anything else he could think of to buy the blonde, except maybe for candy. But that would be gone and meaningless once it was eaten, so just that wouldn't have been good enough.

"Kohaku? Something wrong?" a sleepy mumble suddenly disturbed his thoughts.

"No! Not at all!" Big blue eyes looked at him surprised, even though their owner still seemed half-asleep. "Eh… how are you feeling today?"

"My legs still feel like jelly and I don't think I'll manage to stay awake all day, which annoys me to no end, but besides that…" He smiled softly. "I think I'll be fine once you've given me a good-morning-kiss."

Kohaku couldn't help but to smile back at him, before tenderly kissing him onto his lips. Weakly, the blonde wrapped his arms around the taller man's neck, hugging him tightly. "Your mood seems better already."

"Mmh…" Lucille only sighed again, his face against Kohaku's neck. Sensing that the blonde didn't want to talk, just wanted to rest for a bit longer, Kohaku embraced him loosely and patiently waited until his friend felt awake enough to start his day. "Will you dress me? In nice clothes I mean?" Lucille suddenly asked softly, almost sounding unsure. "I don't want to celebrate a real Christmas for the first time, while wearing a pajama." Well, an old shirt and thin pants, really. "And brush my hair? Please?"

"Sure," Kohaku nodded. "Do you want any kind of braid in it?"

"That'd be nice," the blonde immediately responded. "But… you don't have to spend too much time on it."

"Babe, you should know by now that I actually like braiding your hair."

"Still, it's ironical that you have to do my hair. Considering the fact that I want to look nice… for you." Moving a bit to look at the taller man, Lucille smiled sheepishly. "I'd love to dress up nicely myself, just to see how you'll like it. But I guess that'll have to wait."

"You're worth the wait, whatever you'd be wearing. Even if you wouldn't be wearing anything at all." Realizing what he just said, he felt his cheeks heating up. "Eh… well… you know."

Lucille chuckled softly. "Yeah. Well, that's a reassurance, I guess." Letting go of the violinist, he slowly sat up. "Can you help me to the toilet?"

Happy about the fact that the blonde had managed to sit up on his own in one try, Kohaku nodded. "Do you want to wash up too? It's early enough, and you haven't taken a bath for days. Not that you smell bad…"

"If it's not too much of an effort on you, that'd be nice," the singer responded with a reassuring grin. "And I know I don't smell too bad, you'd have let me know already if I did."

"Well… yes." Okay, that was a lie. But Lucille didn't need to know scared Kohaku was of hurting him, either physically or mentally. Geez, that'd destroy the last tiny bit of the violinist's ego. "Anyhow, then I'll bring you to the toilet first."

"That'd be the most logical," the blonde grinned, watching the taller man standing up and walking around the bed. Carefully, he threw his legs over the side of the bed. "Can I try walking there? Well, with your help, of course."

"Won't that be too tiring?" Kohaku asked, sounding worried. It honestly started to annoy Lucille a bit, to be treated like some fragile doll all the time. Though he had to admit, his body still felt like lead. "Babe?"

"Eh?" Realizing he had been lost in thoughts for a moment, he smiled up at the violinist. "I'll be fine. It's only a few steps, after all."

"Yeah, but it also only were a few steps in the forest, and that tired you out for days. You don't want to fall asleep more than necessary today, right?"

"Indeed, but in the forest, it was cold. Besides, that was a whole walk, even though I was being carried by you most of the time. A trip to the toilet isn't really any comparison to that." It was visible on Kohaku's face that he still wasn't convinced that it wasn't a bad idea. Letting out a sigh, the singer decided to try it another way. "Well then, will you just allow me to walk a few steps today? In case you have forgotten, the doctor gave permission for me to practice walking short bits again, since I made so much improvement."

"Yeah, by phone, since the weather was too bad to come over to here," Kohaku commented.

"Still, permission is permission. A few steps per day, and only if I feel up to it, that's what he said. So if you don't want to let me walk this early in the morning, then at least let me walk to the living-room as soon as we're both dressed up. I really want to show Eles that I'm doing better, so she'll worry a bit less." Or at least, he hoped so.

"Alright already, but don't push yourself," Kohaku finally agreed, even if it were with much reluctance. In response, Lucille smiled happily at him and allowed the taller man to lift him off the bed and carry him to the toilet. This time, Lucille managed to keep standing and undoing his pants with Kohaku only holding his shoulders to keep him steady. Sure, it still wasn't like he would be able to manage on his own, but compared to a few days ago, this was a lot better. The awkwardness of needing help to strip down for a bath, though, was still just as bad.

"So… Will you be able to wash yourself?" the violinist asked, obviously trying not to lower his gaze anywhere underneath Lucille's face.

"If you get me into the bathtub, I will," the blonde responded, knowing he wouldn't be able to stand up from this position. Shivering slightly from sitting on the cold floor, he moved a bit closer to Kohaku. "Can you turn on the tab already? The bathtub must be freezing, considering how cold it is here."

"Yeah." Carefully, the taller man let go of Lucille's shoulder, causing the blonde to fall back slightly. "Tired already?"

"Not really, only my muscles are." Watching the hot water starting to flow, Lucille tried to sit up a bit straighter. His arms were starting to feel increasingly heavy, though, and his abdomen was hurting already which he didn't want to make worse. Geez, hopefully it'd be better during the rest of the day, or it wouldn't do his mood too much good.

A soft touch against the scar by his stomach made him gasp startled. Kohaku gave him a surprised, somewhat guilty look, quickly pulling back his hand. "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention," Lucille smiled sheepishly. "You just startled me."

"But it didn't hurt or anything?" his friend asked, sounding worried. Remembering how impossible that had seemed only a bit more than a month ago, Lucille couldn't help but to smile happily. "What?"

"Nothing. And no, it didn't hurt at all. It still feels a bit… strange, but that's all." Gently, in an impulsive reaction, he kissed the violinist. "Geez, we kiss and all, but it's still awkward when we go any further. Stupid, really."

"Indeed," Kohaku admitted. "But you just seem so… vulnerable. And honestly, I'm still worried that I'll do something wrong, or be too rough, and that you'll close off from me again. That we'd somehow end up back at square one."

"Honey, that won't happen." Unable to keep holding himself up any longer, he wrapped his arms around Kohaku's neck and let himself be lifted into the bathtub. "I've already opened up too much to you, there's no going back anymore. I'd have to kill you." A dry grin. "Which would be ironical, since one of the reasons I have to be so closed and unreachable towards others, is because people I care about usually end up dead."

"We're just two pathetic morons," Kohaku nodded, trying to sound serious.

"Took you long to figure that out," the blonde chuckled, softly pulling at the violinist's hair. "And… on second thought… can you help me washing myself? Or at least stay here with me?" He wasn't really sure himself why he asked, he just felt like it was necessary somehow. Honestly, he just felt that he wanted to spend every moment of this day with Kohaku. And he wanted another kiss. "Come closer."

"Why…" Before the violinist had even finished that line, Lucille captured his lips in a kiss. Immediately, he felt the taller man's arms around his shoulders, pulling him close. The kiss deepened for a moment, before Lucille reluctantly turned his face. "So, that was just… necessary at the moment?" Kohaku chuckled.

"Yes, indeed." His friend didn't seem too hasty to let go of him, so Lucille relaxed against him, resting his head on Kohaku's shoulder. The water had almost reached his chest now, and Kohaku gently started washing him. Only when his hair needed to be cleaned, he made Lucille sit up straight, but the rest of the time the blonde was allowed to sit slumped against him. "Mmh… Isn't your shirt getting wet?" Lucille suddenly realized.

"Yeah, but it's only a night-shirt. It'll be dry by next evening. Anyhow, let's get you dry now, so I can dress you."

"Okay." Reluctant to leave the warm water, but eager to see how the violinist would dress him, Lucille let himself be lifted out of the bathtub. Luckily, Kohaku was quick in drying him and giving him some underwear, so they were back in their significantly warmer bedroom soon. Still shivering a bit, Lucille pulled up his knees against his chest, loosening quickly when he felt a soft pang of pain going through his abdomen.

"Any thoughts on what you want to wear?" Kohaku asked, already searching through Lucille's suitcase.

"Eh… Something warm. Other than that, just pick anything that you think I'll look good in."

"Which is nearly anything," Kohaku grinned, searching through some pants. Within a few minutes, a white dress-shirt, a bright blue vest, and some tight black pants had been thrown onto the bed, followed by a pair of dark socks. "I think I'll tie some black and blue ribbons in your hair too, if that's okay?"

"Sure," Lucille nodded enthusiastically. "There are some ribbons and other stuff in that bag in the back of the suitcase."

Quickly, Kohaku had found it and threw it upon the bed. "Then I'll dress you first, before you freeze." Lucille just grinned and sat up as straight as he could manage, so his friend could dress him easily. It wasn't until the violinist actually pulled up the black pants over Lucille's legs, that the blonde noticed they were his only pair of leather pants. Seems like Kohaku really wanted to see him in those. "You really look more than nice in those pants."

"Surprised about that?" Lucille chuckled.

"Believe it or not; no," the violinist responded dryly. "Now move bit so I can do your hair."

Slow and careful, Lucille moved to sit on the edge on the bed, so Kohaku could sit behind him. "Sorry if it's still wet."

"It's almost dry. Dry enough to work with, at least." A soft chuckle. "Besides, it's not like you asked me to wash your hair." Gently, he brushed the long snowy blonde strands of hair, before starting to make multiple French braids in it, occasionally tying a decorative ribbon in them. "Just a warning, this isn't gonna look masculine."

"Yeah, I figured," Lucille replied. "As long as it looks nice, it's fine by me."

"It will." In silence Kohaku worked on, being as careful as he could. Even though the braiding still went quite fast, Lucille could feel that in the way that the violinist was moving, never pulling too hard or anything. In fact, having Kohaku working on his hair like that, actually felt kind of nice. Or, a word that would fit it better, caring. He hadn't been treated caring since he was a child, by Cordie. Taking a deep breath, he pushed those thoughts away. They'd only led to memories, which would led to bad memories. Which would undoubtedly ruin his mood. Trying to just concentrate on Kohaku's movements, he closed his eyes.

For some minutes, the violinist just kept braiding the long blond hair silently. "You still okay?" he then asked, sounding like he had been trying to avoid asking that question for as long as he could. "Sorry if I'm being too worried, but you seem somewhat… quiet."

"I know." A soft sigh, the load of fresh air made him feel a bit better. "I'm fine, I guess. Just… trying not to think too much. Or rather, remember too much. I really don't want to spoil our first real Christmas together."

"Then I'll just have to distract you," Kohaku responded, tenderly kissing the back of Lucille's neck. "Babe, as long as you're here, nothing can ever be spoiled. Geez, a bit over a month ago, I was almost sure that I was going to lose you. But you survived, and even better, still kept loving me even after we had to pretend to be a couple." The singer felt a warm gust of wind going past his cheek as Kohaku sighed, his head still against the blonde's. "You have no idea how grateful I am that you're here. That everything went as it did, otherwise we'd never be as close as we are now. Okay, the shooting-thing didn't really need to happen, but still."

Lucille smiled softly at that last part. "Well, at least it gave us more than enough time to get even closer."

"That's a fact," Kohaku admitted. "But I don't think I'll ever be able to forget that image of you lying in my arms like that, covered in blood. Or how you stopped breathing." Wrapping his arms around the smaller man's shoulders, he whispered, almost too soft for Lucille to hear; "If you'd have died… At that point I'd rather have gone with you."

"Kohaku…" Feeling his throat tighten a bit, the singer leaned back against his friend. "Let's just… not talk or think about such things today. We're both still here, and I honestly think our life has only become better after all that happened, so we should just be happy. Right?"

"Right. Your hair's done, by the way."

"Already?" Immediately, Lucille sat up straight, almost pulling Kohaku along. "Can you help me to the bathroom then? I wanna see it in the mirror."

"Sure, babe." Gently, the violinist took him into his arms and carried him to the bathroom. "Good enough?" he asked, standing in front of the mirror with the blonde."

For a moment, Lucille just stared at the mirror image of his hair. Two French braids led to the back of his head, both with thin blue ribbons braided in them, tied in a bow at the start. Turning his head a bit, he could just see the two braids being combined into one thick braid, with black and blue ribbons in it. "It's rather girly indeed… but it's truly beautiful," he said softly, before giving Kohaku a soft kiss. "Thanks for braiding it."

"You're welcome," Kohaku mumbled, his cheeks a bit reddened. "And… to me you don't look like a girl. You're just… perfect. With enough imperfections to be beautiful."

Unsure of how to respond to that, but quite sure that it was meant as a compliment, Lucille just smiled and kissed him again. "I love you."

"I love you too. Shall we go back to our room now? Then I can redress too, and we'll probably be ready for breakfast at the same time as Eles."

"If you two wouldn't be keeping the bathroom occupied, then we could," Eles voice sounded dryly from the doorstep.

"Sorry," Lucille grinned, after Kohaku had quickly turned around, probably startled by the girl. "We're done here now, so the room is yours."

Some minutes later, Lucille sat silently at the table with Eles, watching Kohaku making breakfast. Even though it seemed like a strange thing to feel, he actually felt glad to sit at the table, considering he'd been in bed nearly all day long for the past weeks. Even since he'd woken up, he'd been in bed and even ate there. Well, he had to admit he didn't feel completely relaxed this way, considering he could barely manage the effort of keeping up straight. After only a moment, he'd decided to just lay with his head pillowed on the table, feeling embarrassed by how childish that might seem.

"Lucille, are you feeling all right?" Eles asked worriedly.

"Yeah. Just having some trouble sitting. And if I lean back, I'll probably fall off this chair, which would be the end of the last living bit of my ego." He smiled, but knew it didn't reach his eyes. "Sorry."

"Don't be, at least you can be here in the living-room!" the girl immediately responded, grabbing hold of the blonde's hand. "You wouldn't believe how glad I am that you're finally out of bed, even if you're still so weak."

"Yeah, so don't feel bad about anything. Besides, you look pretty cute like that," Kohaku commented, putting a plate with croissants on the table, and some butter and jelly.

Lucille glared at him, but Eles grinned and helped him sit up straight. "You really do look cute, but those clothes really fit you. And your hair looks great."

"You look nice too," the blonde responded, looking at the girls shiny green dress. It seemed a bit too small, though, and he suspected it was from the time when she still dressed like her gender, before the guignols had attacked her town. "It's nice to see you in a dress."

"Well… That's just because it's a special occasion." She seemed pleased by the compliment, only a bit shy. Still, she quickly averted the attention away from herself. "Kohaku, you look nice too. Rather… attractive. Right, Lucille?"

"Y-yeah," the singer agreed, with a soft chuckle at the look on Kohaku's face. Truly, the violinist did look great, with a tight leather jacket and dark pants.

"Yeah, well, let's just eat now, okay?" Kohaku growled, quickly sitting down next to Lucille so he could help the blonde to eat. The singer smiled at him brightly, kissing him softly on his cheek. "What was that for?"

"Just… because?" the blonde replied with a grin.

* * *

**Yup. I'm starting the Christmas special a week after Christmas. Even worse, they won't get to celebrate Christmas until next week XD**

**Still, I hope it'll be fun to read ;)**


	17. Presents

SEQUEL TO "A RETURN TO THE SEA" This makes no sense unless you've read that one already.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters.

Please R&R

* * *

Gently, Kohaku carried Lucille to the couch in the living-room. Even though he kept still while in his friend's arms, it was clear he felt better that he had when breakfast had started, after having eaten two whole croissants with butter and peach jelly. Which made Kohaku feel a lot less worried. "Where do you wanna sit?"

"Eh, could I sit in the middle, please?" Lucille asked. "If neither of you mind, at least."

"Sure. That'll probably be warmer for you," Kohaku agreed, knowing Lucille usually would prefer Eles to sit in the middle, so he could make her the center of attention easily, when he didn't want anyone to pay attention to him instead. The blonde nodded in silence, and let Kohaku put him down onto the couch, immediately slumping against the back of the couch.

"At least you can sit more comfortably here than you did at the dining table," Eles commented, while putting three cups of hot chocolate milk on the small table in front of the couch. "Isn't it?"

"Yeah, a lot," the blonde replied relieved. "I don't think I would have made it through the entire day on that chair."

"Well, you don't have to stay awake all day by force," Kohaku commented, gently hugging the smaller man. "As long as you're having fun, and you're not pushing yourself too hard, it's all right." Lucille merely grinned, kissing the taller man's cheek, and then it went silent for some time. Though it seemed somewhat pathetic, none of them had any idea what to do now. "Eh… so, what now?" Kohaku asked eventually.

"Shall we open our presents?" Eles suggested. "I've bought both of you a gift, after work. And apparently Kohaku bought some things too."

Lucille looked at the floor, seemingly a bit embarrassed. Just when Kohaku wanted to tell him that it didn't matter that the blonde was in no condition to go out on his own to buy anything, the singer spoke up himself. "I couldn't go to the marketplace, obviously, but I did make something with the papers and stuff that Kohaku bought to make decorations. Their underneath the bed, though, so someone will have to get them." A sheepish smile. "It would've been a bit difficult to crawl to here during the night, to put them underneath the tree."

"When did you make something?" Kohaku asked surprised, while Eles went to get the home-made gifts.

"When you were out shopping for groceries, yesterday," Lucille replied softly. "I just couldn't bear the thought of being the only one who didn't give anything."

"And who gave you permission to work with scissors?" the violinist growled. "Geez, if you'd have gotten hurt…"

"I didn't. I've been careful, and it's mostly paper-folding anyway." The blonde grinned at him. "Don't be such a daddy, being that protective doesn't suit you."

"Hey, since we'll all get two gifts, how about taking turns in opening a gift?" Eles suggested, running into the living-room and putting the two wrapped in paper gifts underneath the tree.

"Okay, you first," Lucille responded with a smile, obviously wanting her to have the attention first. Sure, he was still hurt and tired, but she was the one who wanted to celebrate Christmas the most. She looked at him unsurely, though, apparently worrying about which gift to unpack first. "Come on, neither of us will be hurt if you don't pick the one we made first," he grinned.

"Ah, then…" She picked the one Lucille had made, and sat back onto the couch. After carefully unwrapping it, she happily threw her arms around the blonde, nearly knocking him over. "I never knew you are so good at origami! It's beautiful! Thanks so much…" That last part ended in a soft kiss onto his cheek.

"Eh… y-you're welcome," the singer mumbled shyly, blushing a bit. Honestly, the rather large piece of origami was beautiful, even Kohaku had to admit that. It was shaped like a horse, with glitters all over its back and in its eyes.

"I'll be really careful with it," she promised, gently putting the paper horse down onto the table. "So, you're next, right?"

"Yeah. Can I unpack the one you bought first?" Immediately, she picked it up and gave it at him. It was small, but pretty heavy, he noticed, and wrapped in cute rainbow colored wrapping paper. "Nice color," he commented, earning a bright smile from the girl. Carefully, he unwrapped it, slowly revealing a black leather belt with small fake diamonds in it.

"I heard you two talking about leather… so…" She smiled a bit unsurely. "I hope you'll like it."

"It's great, thanks so much!" An apologetic grin. "Eh, I'd like to hug you, but I'll probably lose my balance and land on top of you if I'd try, so…" Before he could even finish, she had already hugged him, allowing him to wrap his arms around her weakly. "By the way, which part of the leather conversation did you hear?"

"Only the remarks from this morning, don't worry," she grinned, gently letting go of him. "So, Kohaku next?"

"Eh, whatever." In response, she dryly passed him the gift she'd bought for him. Carefully, just like the other two had done, he opened it. Another leather belt, but this one had some silver skulls nailed in. "Nice. Thanks," he mumbled almost shyly.

"Kohaku…" With a fake annoyed sigh, Lucille pulled at a strand of the taller man's dark hair. "Hug her. You know you want to." How awkward it may feel, Kohaku didn't have much of a choice left, and reluctantly leaned over Lucille to hug Eles. The girl unsurely hugged him back, but seemed content with it. Still, a silence followed, and Lucille was the one to break that by asking if Kohaku could help him drink some chocolate milk. "I can lift up pieces of bread, but I think a full cup won't be a good idea just yet."

"Sure, just don't burn your tongue." Carefully, Kohaku lifted up the cup and held it against Lucille's soft lips. Slowly, the singer started to drink, occasionally blocking the chocolate milk with his tongue to take a short breath. After some time, he slowly withdrew, signaling Kohaku to put the cup back on the table. "Just say so if you want the rest."

"I will," Lucille nodded with a smile, while the violinist and Eles drank a bit of chocolate milk from their own cups too, before they both looked back at him. "Eh, it's Eles' turn again, right? So stop looking at me."

A bit shyly, Eles picked up her last gift and unwrapped it. "Aww, it's so cute!" she squealed, hugging the big brown plush bear. "And his bow tie is cute too!" For a short moment, she paused unsurely, but then seemed to have gathered her courage and jump to Kohaku to hug him. "Thanks!"

"Eh… y-yeah…" The violinist felt his cheeks turning into the shade of a tomato, but forced himself to hug her back. Still, he felt happy. Having been used to getting attacked by people suddenly, it was a nice change to be hugged unforeseen. It even made him forget what he had been stressing about all day, until Eles got back to her place on the couch and passed Lucille his second gift. 'Please don't be offended,' he begged in his mind, trying to look relaxed. At the moment, though, that the blonde pulled off the wrapping-paper, he felt his own breath hitch for a moment.

"Kohaku… It's so…" What? Bad? Stupid? Horrible? Those fears were immediately erased from Kohaku's mind when Lucille suddenly turned and hugged him weakly. "How did you even know I'd love this so much?" Practically climbing up against the violinist's chest, Lucille kissed him. "I don't think I ever even made a remark?"

"You… occasionally grabbed my arm while you slept, and wouldn't let go of it," Kohaku replied softly. "So I thought you might like something to hold onto while you sleep, if I'm not close enough at the moment." Tenderly, he wrapped his arms around the singer's thin frame. "Geez, I was so scared you'd think it was stupid."

"I don't. It's really thoughtful. And… I honestly never had expected you to even have the guts to buy a plush unicorn." A faint laugh, but it was enough to make Kohaku smile too.

"Remember that woman we met near the village? I bought it from her at the marketplace, she actually helped me choose," he admitted.

Lucille grinned, and kissed him again. "Yeah, I already guessed something like that. Either way, thanks. I really love it." Carefully getting back to his former position, leaning against the back of the couch, he hugged the plush unicorn. "By the way, it's your turn again."

Eles already passed him the last gift, and after unwrapping it, Kohaku just stared at it for a moment, wondering what laws of physics Lucille had killed for making this. It was shaped like a dog, with pointy ears and a thick tail, glitters in its eyes and on its paws and back. "Wow, you're good at origami."

"T-thanks," Lucille smiled unsurely. "But… do you personally like it?"

"What do you think?" After carefully purring the paper dog onto the table, he wrapped his arms around the blonde again, feeling Lucille slump against him in relieve. "Thanks, babe."

"Mmh… I'm glad you like it," the blonde sighed, his breath warm against the skin of Kohaku's neck. Then he smiled. "This whole gift-giving thing was really fun."

"Yeah!" Eles immediately agreed. "I hope we'll get the chance to do it again next year."

"We still have Christmas dinner, remember? And I've bought some candy, it's in a box in the kitchen," Kohaku told her, carefully moving Lucille a bit to get a good look at his face. The blonde smiled up at him sleepily, eyes somewhat hazy suddenly. "Maybe you should get some rest."

"Might be a good idea," the singer mumbled. "Damn, it's not even afternoon yet."

"True, but it'd be a pity if you'd fall asleep during dinner."

"Mmh. You got a point." Letting out a deep sigh, he dropped himself onto his side, his shoulders and head resting on Kohaku's lap and his legs on Eles'. In his arms laid the plush unicorn, safely clutched against his chest. "Please stay here? Then we're together, at least."

"Sure, babe." Gently, Kohaku caressed the blonde's cheek. "We'll wake you up for lunch, okay?"

"Mmh… 'kay." It was barely more than a sleepy mumble, and both Eles and Kohaku watched him drift off to sleep.

"I hope he'll feel better soon," Eles remarked softly. "He seems so annoyed by how weak he still is."

"No wonder, he usually never lets it show when he's not feeling well. And now he practically doesn't have a choice." The blonde sighed softly, stirring a bit to get closer to Kohaku's caresses. "Well, at least he's cute like this."

"Yeah," Eles grinned. "Even though he'd probably feel embarrassed if he'd hear us saying that."

Kohaku just smiled, wondering whether Lucille would really feel embarrassed, or would just be acting like it. It didn't really matter anyway, as long as it wouldn't stop the blonde from taking enough time to rest. Which he'd personally make sure of.

* * *

**Part one of Christmas (two weeks after Christmas in real life XD )**

**I'll update next Sunday^^**


	18. Sleepy thoughts

SEQUEL TO "A RETURN TO THE SEA" This makes no sense unless you've read that one already.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters.

Please R&R

* * *

"Mmf…" Letting out a deep sigh, Lucille stirred a bit, accidentally kicking Eles in the stomach.

"Ouch! Geez, he dangerous when he's asleep," she chuckled, grabbing his legs for safety. At that, the blonde mumbled something unintelligible, sighing again. "Maybe he's dreaming?"

"Probably," Kohaku agreed, glad to have a subject to talk about. The past time after Lucille had fallen asleep, had been awkwardly silent. Usually, in such a case, he'd just act grumpy and unapproachable, so neither of them would feel too uncomfortable. The events of past month, though, had changed things a lot. And honestly, he'd found out that he generally liked it this way, actually having people to talk and laugh with, and even share worries with them. However, that couldn't undo spending most of his life until now as a social outcast, accepted by few, and particularly liked by no one. It hadn't done too much good for his social skills, which made him spend the past few minutes worrying about what he could talk about with Eles while Lucille was asleep.

"If he gets a nightmare, should we wake him? He seemed really tired, but it wouldn't be good for him to be scared," the girl remarked worriedly, looking up at him with those big blue eyes, a few shades darker than Lucille's almost white ones.

It made the violinist feel a bit uncomfortable, realizing that she truly relied on him to make such decisions, to be the responsible adult. Honestly, he'd never been responsible for anything or anyone, unless it was important for his own well-being. Even now, while the blonde was so weak, he and Kohaku shared responsibility, both being adults and refusing to be seen as any less. Eles, on the other hand, was still a child. And despite everything she'd been through already in her short life, she still had that childish naivety at times, the tendency to feel the need to rely on people older than her to make sure everything would be okay.

Which didn't help him a bit. "Eh… I suppose letting him suffer through a nightmare wouldn't really count as a good rest either," he finally responded, staring at the blonde's slightly pale face. "So I guess we should wake him if he seems scared, then he can sleep again after that."

"Okay," she nodded. "Will you stay with him while I go clean these cups?"

And then she suddenly seemed so mature again. In a way, he could understand why Lucille was so eager at times like these to make Eles the center of attention. Considering how much more mature than her true age she was forced to act, due to her life so far, and their life together now, she probably just needed to be a child again, even if she didn't realize that herself. Maybe that was also why the blonde had been more nice to her from the beginning, than he'd ever been to Kohaku or Gwindel. His own wrecked childhood probably made him feel guilty about hers being so unusual. But at least she'd had enjoyed a normal childhood for years, until the guignols had came to her town. And Kohaku had to admit, even the first few years of his own childhood had been nice, even if he barely remembered them. Ironic, really, that being born as a beautiful perfect voiced prince, had brought the blonde the most disturbing childhood of them all.

Even now, some of his smiles were like plastic, pasted on like he had to look pretty and happy all of the time. It barely happened anymore when Kohaku was alone with him, which he was thankful for, but he couldn't wait for the day that Lucille would finally be able to get past those memories and traumas, and dropped the doll-like façade forever.

"You okay?" Eles voice startled him from his thoughts.

"Eh? Yeah, just… distracted." Remembering her last question, he added; "And I'll stay with him, of course." While she went to clean the cups, Kohaku looked at Lucille again. The blonde really did look as perfect as a doll. Despite the fact that he felt bad for even thinking it, he was somehow glad that the singer had a scar now. At least part of his appearance wasn't perfect anymore, even if it wouldn't be visible usually. Though he'd never admit it, he felt somewhat nervous about having to go to the village with Lucille. Not that he didn't look forward to the moment that the blonde would be well enough to do so, but as a couple they would get looked at. And he truly felt sometimes, that the blonde just seemed to radiant, sparkling and pretty to be a couple with someone as usually grumpy and dark as himself. Okay, he'd been told by women often enough that he looked handsome, to know it had to be at least a bit true, but still.

Ironic, really, that on the inside Lucille quite surely was the darker one.

Either way, he didn't even know for sure why he felt so unsure about their appearance. Maybe it wasn't even because the blonde was so much more eye-catching, but just the fact that he looked so feminine. Granted, it would prevent strange looks if people thought that Lucille was a woman, but what if other men would flirt with him? Kohaku felt pretty sure that his jealousy would be strong enough to make him personally kill any guy that dared to even look at Lucille in a wrong way. Which wouldn't exactly do their reputation too much good, and jealousy overall often did more bad than good. And the one thing he'd never want to do, was unintentionally push the blonde away from himself. If he'd act too possessive about the blonde, to the point that it would be far past just cute or merely protective, Lucille would surely get annoyed.

"Mmh…" Letting out a deep sigh, the singer turned over onto his back, nearly dropping the plush unicorn. "Kohaku…" A soft smile.

Feeling his cheeks heating up, Kohaku quickly caught the unicorn before it would slip from Lucille's hold. The blonde barely responded when the small toy was placed in his arms again, he only sighed again. "Geez, watch where you dump that," Kohaku grumbled inaudibly. The plush was white, and it wasn't like these floors were the cleanest ones in the world. If the unicorn would get dirty, he'd have to wash it, which could take half an hour since he couldn't wash it along with any clothes.

Suddenly, the blonde coughed softly and opened his eyes, looking up sleepily at the violinist. "Mmh?"

"What?"

"Nothing." He blinked to drive away the drowsiness. "I guess I wasn't that tired after all."

"You did sleep for some time," Kohaku responded, wondering whether to help the blonde sit up or to just let him lay down for a bit longer. Well, if the singer wanted to sit, he'd let Kohaku know by himself.

"Can I just keep laying like this for a while? You're quite comfortable." A soft smile. "Mmh… you're the best bed ever."

"Am I supposed to take that as a compliment?" Kohaku asked dryly.

"Yeah." Another cough. "Geez, my throat feels weird."

"Did you catch a cold? Are you all right?" Kohaku immediately placed his hand on the blonde's forehead. "At least you don't have a fever."

"Honey, relax." Weakly, Lucille took the violinist's hand. "I'm okay. Even if I caught a cold somehow, it'll heal quickly since I'm practically resting most of the time."

"But your body is still weakened…"

"Even so, I'll be fine. It's just a cold, I won't die from it, and you're here to take care of me, right? Don't let it show to Eles. Don't let it spoil today." A soft smile. "Just hold me. And feel free to kiss me if you feel the need."

"And what if I don't?" Kohaku grinned, successfully been distracted from his worries.

"Well, the I'll just have to force you."

"And how were you planning on doing that?"

"I've got my methods," Lucille chuckled, before nearly making himself fall off the couch. In a reflex, Kohaku leaned down and caught him, his arms wrapped tightly around the blonde's slender frame. "See?" Before the taller man could even respond, the singer kissed him deeply.

* * *

**Short, sorry… But I'll try to make the next chapter longer^^**


	19. A winter's cold

SEQUEL TO "A RETURN TO THE SEA" This makes no sense unless you've read that one already.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters.

Please R&R

******************Let's start with my reason for not updating last week… (sorry sorry sorry!)**  
I'm using a friends computer now to post this, since my internet has been dead for a week. Well, at least that gave me the chance of writing this chapter without the opportunity to play games, read other fanfics, or… do my homework XD  
**It'll be fixed tomorrow (hopefully), but since I did manage to upload the newest chapter of my other fic last week, I thought I would just play safe and post this while I have the chance...  
****A small problem, though, is that I also can't read my own previous chapter of this fic (I erase them from my laptop to save space)… Luckily, I have a full schedule of what I want to write in this fic, but sorry if I made some mistakes in details (like what time it was in the last chapter XD ) I finished this around last Wednesday, don't feel like re-writing it.  
****Btw, the idea at the end of this chapter came from someone I met on a forum, who had drawn a picture of Kohaku dreaming of Lucille's smile… Cute 3 Though I'm still hoping to once find a picture of them in leather…**

* * *

During the rest of the morning, Lucille kept laying comfortably on the couch, his head on Kohaku's lap and his legs on Eles'. Though he wasn't really sleeping, he wasn't really awake either, Kohaku noticed soon, as the blonde barely talked along with the conversation, but did respond when he was asked a specific question. "Babe, are you hungry yet?" Kohaku asked finally, after nearly two hours of random conversation.

"Mmh… Only a little," the blonde responded, blinking slowly. "Can't we have pancakes for lunch? With lots of sugar and syrup and chocolate and stuff like that?"

Immediately, Eles nodded in agreement, and Kohaku ended up being stared at with begging eyes from both sides. "Sure, why not," he agreed with a sigh, chuckling when Lucille grinned happily. "Dinner will have vegetables and meat, though. So you have to eat enough then too."

"I will. If I can choose myself how much sweet stuff I'll put on my pancake," the blonde responded. "Deal?"

"Sure. Should I go buy a sugar factory, or will what we have be enough?" Which earned him a weak slap against his shoulder, even though Lucille couldn't stop himself from laughing softly. "I'll go bake them, whatever's left can serve as breakfast tomorrow. Eles, can you hold him?" He already turned Lucille around to his head was pillowed on Eles' lap now, so it wasn't like she had much of a choice. Well, she loved helping him anyway. "I'll hurry."

"Don't hurry too much, it'd be bad if your hands got burned," Eles warned him, while the violinist already left for the kitchen, yelling back at her that he wasn't a baby.

"Physically not, but mentally… I'm doubting it," Lucille chuckled, soft enough so Kohaku wouldn't hear. "But at least he's cute."

"I don't think he'll be cute anymore if he'd hear you say that out loud," Eles remarked dryly.

"Nah, he's always cute. He just tries not to be." The blonde giggled when Eles let out a startled yelp, due to a spoon suddenly flying towards them from the kitchen. "You missed!"

"If I'd wanted it to hit, I'd have thrown a knife!" the violinist yelled back. "And the first few pancakes are done, do you wanna eat in the kitchen or on the couch?"

Though the couch would be way more comfortable, the kitchen table would be a lot more convenient. "I think the kitchen would be better," he replied. "Unless anyone insists on eating here?" Apparently, no one did, and Kohaku gently carried the blonde to the kitchen. The chairs hadn't magically turned less uncomfortable, sadly, and he had to force himself to sit up straight. "E-Eles, you can start eating if you want. I think I'd better wait until our cook is done working."

"Look, if you'd be more comfortable on the couch…"

"But it's nicer to eat here," Lucille interrupted his friend, before he'd even gotten the chance to finish what he'd been saying. "It's just that if I move too much, I'd probably fall off." Which would just be too embarrassing, and not to mention painful.

"Then come sit on my lap, as soon as I've finished enough pancakes. That way it'll be easier to hold you," Kohaku suggested, almost embarrassedly.

"Well…" Lucille grinned. "I think I can live with that."

"Moron." Still, some time later the blonde was sitting comfortably on Kohaku's lap. Due to the cold he wasn't that hungry, but his beloved one would undoubtedly be worried if he wouldn't eat. "Sure you don't want any more?" the violinist asked, after feeding the blonde only one pancake. Lucille merely shook his head before leaning it against Kohaku's shoulder and closing his eyes. "Are you feeling all right?"

"Just tired." And a bit of a headache, to be honest. But today, he didn't want to be honest about that. Christmas was supposed to be fun and great, not filled with worries. Besides, it was only a slight cold. He'd be over it within a few days, he always was, but considering his current condition his friends would be worrying way too much about it. Sure, Kohaku already had noticed. But there was no need to make Eles feel concerned too. If he'd sleep for a bit, he'd probably feel better soon, right? With that thought, he sighed and snuggled closer against his friend.

"Is he okay?" Eles asked worriedly, giving Lucille a worried glance.

"Yeah, just sleeping." Though he did seem a bit pale. "I guess I was more nervous for today than I had thought." That seemed like a good enough explanation. "I think I'll bring him to bed for a while, after lunch, just until it's time for dinner."

"Yeah, he'll be warmer there, than on the couch," the girl nodded. "I really hope he'll feel better before dinner, though. I'm sure he'll love it, so it'd be a pity if he would be able to eat much."

Kohaku only nodded, holding the singer against him gently. The blonde didn't seem too bothered by the two people talking about him, sleeping peacefully and stirring a bit every now and then. The remainder of that afternoon, he kept asleep, until Kohaku carefully woke him up for dinner. "Babe? Hey, wake up!"

"Mmh?" Slowly, the blonde opened his eyes, blinking against the bright afternoon sunlight that shone through the window. "Time for dinner?"

"Yeah. Are you feeling any better?"

"I do." A relieved smile graced his beautiful face. "A lot, actually. I guess sleeping beat that cold, luckily."

"Good. Still, better be careful. Dinner is ready, so you can sit on my lap again." A faint blush. "Eh, if you want to."

The singer grinned. "Don't you already know the answer to that, honey? You're the most comfortable chair, pillow and bed ever." Quicker than Kohaku expected him to, Lucille sat up and gave the violinist a kiss onto his lips. "Mmh… And besides that, you're also rather… attractive."

"Eh. Yeah. Thanks, I guess." Obviously trying to hide his sudden shyness, Kohaku pulled the blankets off Lucille's slender body and then lifted the blonde into his arms carefully. "So, curious about what's for dinner?"

Realizing that his friend might be worried about his lack of interest in the food, Lucille nodded. "I'm sure it'll taste great, though, whatever it is."

"I hope so," Kohaku muttered. "I've never really cooked a large meal before, and Eles would even be able to let water get burnt." Lucille grinned softly at that. When Kohaku walked them into the kitchen, though, the singer couldn't suppress a surprised sigh. "Does it look any good?"

"Wow… It looks almost professional," Lucille responded, staring at the large chicken, the salad and the cooked vegetables. "Especially the chicken looks great!"

"Well, that's the main dish, so it should look the best," Kohaku remarked, his cheeks a bit reddened. "I'm glad you like it, though."

"Yeah, now let's hope you'll also like the taste," Eles said with a bright smile on her face. "Let's get to the table, I'm hungry."

The chicken did taste great, even though Lucille didn't manage to eat much of it. Still, he noticed Kohaku eating less than usual too, even playing with his food a bit. "Hey, that cold that seemed to have swiftly passed by me… Any chance that it actually hit you?"

"Tch… That'd be unfair," the violinist growled. "Not that I want you to get sick, but..." He coughed, and then glared at the blonde. "Next time, keep your germs away from me."

"S-sorry," Lucille mumbled guiltily, staring at the ground. "Maybe it's because you went outside way more often, while it was freezing."

Letting out a sigh, Kohaku combed his fingers through the blonde's silky hair. "I didn't mean to blame you. I just really can't get sick, not while you're still unable to take care of yourself. And we can't afford Eles taking days off work to take care of us."

"Still, it's not like you can just fight it off," Lucille remarked, clumsily picking up a small piece of chicken and eating it. "Besides, I'm not completely helpless anymore. We can always help each other."

"You're not allowed to walk without me there to catch you, and you won't do any chores," Kohaku warned. "Geez, you've only woken up from that coma for about two weeks now, don't overexert yourself." Lucille gave him a less than friendly look, but then sighed and smiled. "Besides, if you'd get yourself back into the hospital, your plush unicorn would get lonely." At that, Lucille laughed softly, before calling him a moron.

His head starting to throb a bit, Kohaku didn't bother to respond. Instead, he just sighed and leaned his head on top of Lucille's. The singer smoothly started chatting with Eles, making sure she wouldn't pay too much attention to the violinist. Grateful for that, Kohaku closed his eyes for a moment in an attempt to fight off the headache. Geez, this wasn't a good time to catch a cold. At all. Well, at least the day was almost over, and he could go to bed early tonight. That wouldn't make him good company, but he honestly didn't want anyone to notice how he felt. Lucille would notice it anyway, he knew that, but there was no need to worry Eles.

"I'll clean the table," Eles offered after some minutes. "You two can go to the couch already, you both look tired."

"You sure?" Kohaku asked, looking at the girl a bit guiltily.

"You made dinner, so it's only fair," she smiled. "Shall I make some chocolate milk after cleaning up?"

"Sure. There's also some chocolate among the candy I bough, we can eat some of those too," the violinist replied.

"Chocolate with chocolate? Sounds good," Lucille grinned, while carefully getting off Kohaku's lap. "Can I try to walk a bit to the couch?"

"Sure, babe." Holding Lucille's shoulders tightly, and the blonde holding on to Kohaku's arms, they took a few steps. Even though the singer's legs were still wobbly, and he still was weak overall, it went better than last time, and they actually made it all the way to the couch. "You really are getting stronger."

"Yeah," the blonde smiled, sitting down carefully. "Geez, I'm still easily tired, though. That few feet feel like miles."

"Well, that is to be expected," Kohaku sighed, sitting down next to Lucille, and placing an arm around the blonde's thin shoulders. "But you should be happy that you're only weakened, and that there's no lasting damage. And you're healing really fast."

"I suppose." Another smile. "I'm happy that my body is recovering so fast, but in my mind it just can't go fast enough. I mean, as far as I remember, I got shot and then woke up only minutes later. That month in a coma just doesn't exist at all in my memory. I guess that's why I feel like it's going so slowly."

"Well, you're lucky not to remember," the violinist remarked. "It was so damn scary to see you injured as badly as you were, and so terribly weak. Worst was; there wasn't anything that I could do for you, the first few weeks. I could only hold your hand and talk a bit, and just hope that you'd hear me." A soft sigh. "At some moments, it really felt like I had lost you."

Tenderly, Lucille snuggled against him. "Well, you didn't lose me. I'd wish you wouldn't have had to go through so much fear and worries, but at least you can stop being scared about me now."

"Don't think I'll ever stop worrying, though. Not until you're fully recovered and ready for work again. Even then, now that I've actually allowed myself to realize that I care about you, I don't think I'll be as calm as I used to be when you're in danger."

"Honestly, I often felt like you couldn't care less, as long as the enemy wouldn't make me useless as a singer," the blonde admitted. "Like it was all just 'amusing' to you."

"That was what I made myself believe too. But you did the same, more than I did, even."

"Yeah," the blonde nodded. "When we get back to work, all four of us, please don't expect me to be as I am now all the time, though. It took a lot of pain and sorrow to become such a closed off doll. It might take years to truly dare to be myself again and show that to the world. It's hard to allow yourself to be vulnerable, when you know how badly you can be hurt if you do." A somewhat sad look had appeared in those big, crystal eyes.

"I know. But as long as you know you can be safe and yourself with me, just as I can with you, then I'm sure it'll be okay." That succeeded in lifting both the blonde's mood, as his own.

By the time they went to bed, though, his mood has gone down considerably. Mainly due to the throbbing headache, which was starting to make him feel a bit nauseous. Again, Lucille insisted on trying to walk, obviously not to take Kohaku carry him again, but the day had taken its toll on the blonde. Even with support, he could barely manage to keep standing, let alone walk. So the violinist carefully took him into his arms and slowly carried him to their room, Eles following. "Sleep well, you both!" she greeted, before walking on to her own room. "This really was a great Christmas!"

"Indeed it was," Lucille smiled. "Sleep well." Kohaku merely managed to smile, before stepping into his and Lucille's bedroom, kicking the door shut behind himself. "Honey, do you have a fever?"

"Dunno." After gently putting Lucille down onto the bed, he sat down on the edge of it. "My head hurts like Hell, though. Damn…"

"Maybe it'll be better tomorrow morning," the blonde tried to cheer him up. "Just go and get dressed for bed, I'll try how far I can get with redressing myself."

"Don't…"

"I won't push myself. It's only redressing, not walking a marathon," Lucille interrupted him dryly. "Besides, you look like you might throw up if have to keep up and awake for much longer. If you'd throw up on me, we'd both have to take a shower, and I'm too tired to do that."

"Thank a lot." It came out as a growl, but the violinist did smile softly. "I'll undo your hair anyway, you wouldn't be able to get out all the ribbons by yourself."

It turned out he wasn't able to get redressed by himself either, to his own embarrassment. Undressing was one thing, he could just pull the pants off from underneath himself, but getting into his nightwear proved to be a much bigger task without being able to stand up without any help. "Sorry…" he mumbled, watching Kohaku's face getting more and more pale as time passed. Oh, how much he wanted to not need him right now. If he wasn't so weak, if he could redress himself, then the violinist would've been in bed already. Instead, the dark-haired man had to force himself to keep busy.

"Hey, it's not too much of an effort," Kohaku mumbled, dragging a thin t-shirt over Lucille's head. "Can you turn around a bit so I can reach your hair?" It took some effort, but Lucille indeed managed to. He felt Kohaku's hands trembling slightly, as the braids and ribbons were getting undone. "Is it okay if I just make one large braid in it now? Then it won't be an effort to brush it tomorrow."

"Sure, honey," the singer immediately complied. Getting underneath the covers went kind of awkward, but he managed to be settled before Kohaku had turned off the lights. When the dark-haired man snuggled closely against him, though, he couldn't resist feeling at Kohaku's forehead. It was hot. Not extremely hot, but considerably warmer than it should be. "I think you do have a fever. Shouldn't we try to cool it down?"

The violinist softly shook his head. "Then you'd have to wake up every few hours. That'd be bad for your health."

"But…"

"Lucille. I'll be fine." A somewhat shaky sigh. "Just… hold me. You're warm." Weakly, Lucille wrapped his arms around Kohaku's waist, gently caressing his back. "Thanks," the violinist mumbled.

"Try to sleep, okay?" Lucille responded. "Have sweet dreams."

"You too." He smiled sleepily. "Maybe I'll dream about you." Luckily for Lucille, the violinist fell asleep right after that, so he didn't see how the singer's cheeks suddenly went a soft shade of red. Well, if it'd make his friend happy, Lucille wouldn't mind it at all to be dreamt about.

I love you, honey," he whispered, before closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep too.

* * *

**It's almost February… and finally they're done with Christmas XD **

**I'll update again in a week^^ With Kohaku sick, Lucille will have to find some way to take care of things… **


	20. Disturbing news

SEQUEL TO "A RETURN TO THE SEA" This makes no sense unless you've read that one already.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters.

Please R&R

* * *

After being woken multiple times during past night, due to Kohaku coughing, Lucille woke up somewhat late that morning. Sighing tiredly, he opened his eyes and looked around, expecting Kohaku to be awake already. To his surprise, and concern, though, the violinist was still asleep beside him, his face pale and sweaty. "Damn…" What was he supposed to do now? Just let him sleep? But both of them needed to eat. Still, waking him up wouldn't be a great idea either, since Kohaku would get better more quickly if he took as much rest as possible.

Other option; he could also try himself, to make some breakfast. He'd only need to manage to actually get to the kitchen. And stand without help long enough to get food out of the cabinets. And to make sandwiches without cutting himself. Okay, maybe he'd just make them both a bowl of yoghurt with fruit. It'd be less nutritious than sandwiches, but the chances of him actually succeeding in making it would be way bigger. "Just keep asleep for a little while longer," he whispered in Kohaku's ear, before carefully getting out of the other's embrace.

Sitting up when relatively smooth, walking went a little less perfect. Actually, he couldn't even get to that point, his legs still too weak to hold his weight without any support. With a soft thud he landed on the floor, wincing when a faint pain shot through his stomach. "O-ouch… Damn it." Slowly, the pain faded and he pulled himself up by holding on to the nightstand. His legs still refused to stop trembling, but as long as he had something to hold on to, he might manage to get to the kitchen.

Step by step, careful and slowly, he moved to the kitchen. Finally there, he nearly collapsed again from the muscle ache in his legs, but forced himself to reach for the kitchen cabinets and get some bananas, apples and bottle of yoghurt. After having placed that on the table, he quickly searched for two bowls of the right size. Making the fruit yoghurt itself, turned out to be the easiest part. Now, though, he bumped into yet another problem. Unable to even stand up without support, how in the world was he going to walk while carrying two bowls?

"I hate this. I really do," he hissed to no one in particular, glaring at the wall like it was its fault. "Geez…" Now what? He really wanted to be able to wake Kohaku without making him get up immediately. At least breakfast was made already. Trembling on his feet, he started walking to the bedroom again, to get Kohaku. "You awake?" he yelled from the hallway, knowing that Eles had already left anyway. "Kohaku!"

"Wha…" A startled sound of someone jumping out of bed. "Lucille?" The violinist eyes widened in surprise when he walked into the hallway and say Lucille standing there, leaning heavily against the wall. "What the Hell are you doing out of bed?"

"Making breakfast," the blonde replied sheepishly. "It's in the kitchen, I couldn't walk while holding them. I made yoghurt with fruit, I hope that's okay." Unsurely, he looked up at the violinist.

For a moment, Kohaku just stared back at him, his face still pale from his cold, and visibly trembling. "T-that's great, I guess. Just… well, you know." A soft grin.

"I know. Don't worry," Lucille grinned back. "Let's get to the kitchen, before my legs give up on me."

"Okay." Even though he seemed a bit unsteadily himself, the violinist gently placed his arm around the slender singer to support him. Letting out a soft sigh, Lucille leaned against him a bit, feeling how unnaturally warm Kohaku's body was. Damn, the fever must really be pretty high. On the bright side, though, this would give him the chance to take care of the violinist for a bit. the only problem was the whole 'barely able to walk' thingy, he realized. But whatever he could do, he would.

If only he'd never been shot, then this wouldn't be an issue at all. And that bastard who had controlled the guignols, the ship's captain who had given the order to shoot, was relatively safe in prison now. Honestly, Lucille would have liked to finish that guy off himself. Too bad that, when he'd had the chance, he had been busy with slipping into a coma.

"Lucille?" A bit startled, the blonde looked up at the concerned sound of the dark-haired man's voice. "What were you thinking of?"

"Just… I'd wish I could have killed that bastard captain."

Immediately, Kohaku knew what he was talking about. "If it makes you feel any better, I did shoot the guy who shot you. Just… a moment too late." The guilt was evident in his voice.

"You were weakened by my voice, it's not like you didn't do the best you could at that point," the singer smiled softly. "Just… If that bastard hadn't given the order to shoot me, or had started the whole guignol-ship at all, I would've been able to take care of you now."

"But we'd never be as close as we are now."

"We would have become," the blonde insisted. "After opening up to you, I wouldn't have crawled back behind my mask again."

"I'd wish I could've been the one to catch that guy," Kohaku admitted. "Honestly, he'd have wished he'd never been born." An unexpected kiss made Lucille almost stumble. "But at that moment, trying to save your life just seemed more important."

"I guess that's a good thing," the blonde smiled faintly. "Eh… would you mind me sitting on your lap, by the way? It might be easier, and warmer, and…"

"You already had me with 'eh'," Kohaku grinned, sitting down at the table and pulling the singer onto his lap. "So, what did you put in this yoghurt?"

"Pieces of bananas and apples. They're not very even at size, though," he admitted sheepishly. "I guess my arms are still somewhat weak."

"How did you manage to walk anyway?"

"By falling down first, and then drag myself up and forward by using the nightstand and then the walls." A deep sigh. "I think I'm gonna sleep for a bit though, after breakfast. But we should get a towel and a bowl of cold water first, to cool down your fever."

"Well, let's just eat first. Can you do that by yourself too, or should I feed you?"

"I'll try to. You should start eating too, your body needs it."

In the end, both of them spend minutes eating their breakfast. "It tasted really good," Kohaku complimented Lucille. The singer just smiled tiredly, staring forward with half-lidded eyes. "I guess I'll have to carry you back," Kohaku chuckled. Gently, he lifted the singer into his arms and stood up, deciding to clean up the two bowls later. Lucille didn't even respond, his eyes falling shut before they'd even reached the hallway. After putting the blonde to bed, the violinist went to the bathroom to get a bowl of water and a wet towel, determined to get that damned fever to disappear as soon as possible.

No longer having the singer's thin but warm body against his own, Kohaku suddenly felt like it was freezing in the small house. Unable to stop shivering, he walked back to the bedroom, fighting off a sudden wave of dizziness as he leaned down to put the bowl on the nightstand at his side of the bed. "Geez… stupid cold." Carefully, he laid down onto his back and pushed the wet towel against his forehead. At least that lessened the headache noticeably, but it didn't do much to stop the shivers going through his body.

Looking beside him, he saw that the blonde had unconsciously wrapped his arms around the plush unicorn. Well, that was an idea. Careful not to wake up Lucille, he pulled the blonde on top of himself somewhat like an extra blanket. A comfortable warm one. The blonde didn't seem to mind it at all. Instead, he just curled up a bit, laying mostly on his stomach but a bit turned onto his side, and used one hand to grab Kohaku's shoulder, the other one clutching the unicorn against himself.

Warm and comfortable like that, it didn't take long for the violinist to fall asleep too.

"Mmh…" Reluctant to wake up completely, the blonde kept his eyes closed. The brightness of the sun shining through the window, though, even noticeable through closed eyelids, was enough to tell him that it was already noon. Still, it was so nice to lay like this, feeling Kohaku breathe slowly underneath his own body. The violinist's body felt less unnaturally warm than it had earlier, which hopefully meant that he was getting better quickly. Finally, the blonde opened his eyes, looking up at his friend.

Yup, still deep asleep. Slowly, Lucille took the towel and pushed it down into the bowl of cold water for a moment before wringing it a bit dryer and putting it back over Kohaku's forehead. That should last him for at least a while, Lucille thought, before sleepily closing his eyes again.

The next time he woke, was because someone was softly shaking at his shoulder. "Hmm… what?" he mumbled, opening his eyes to see Eles leaning over him.

"Are you all right?"

"Eh? Yeah, I'm fine." A wave of worry went through him as he noticed Kohaku was no longer in bed with him. "How's Kohaku doing?"

"He seems to be doing a lot better than this morning, just tired. And I think he still has a bit of a fever. Either way, when I came back from work, he was already making dinner, and he asked me to wake you up."

"Ah." Slowly, the blonde sat up and yawned widely. "If you wouldn't mind helping a bit, I think I can walk there."

"But you look tired," Eles remarked worriedly. "And Kohaku told me that you were exhausted from making breakfast this morning, so shouldn't you be a little less hard on yourself?"

"I don't want to make him obligated to carry me, just because walking takes… a bit more energy than usual." Almost guiltily, Lucille looked down. "Especially when he's not feeling too well himself."

"You know there's no use in exhausting yourself further either, right?" Gently, she petted his head. "He'll be fine, but your body could be slowed down in recovering if you push yourself too hard. Honestly, don't you think it's a sign you should listen to, when you walk around just a little bit and then sleep for nearly all day long?"

"That… that's true," the blonde admitted, carefully leaning against her a bit. "Still, it's hard not to try and ignore it, when I think of how little I can help like this."

"You kept breathing. That's enough work to last for any time it'll take you to fully recover." The blonde smiled softly at that, weakly caressing the girl's back in response.

For a few minutes, they sat like that, until Kohaku came in to tell them that dinner was ready. "Lucille, are you feeling okay?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Because I'm the one with a fever, and you still managed to be way more tired," the violinist responded dryly. Then he walked to the bed and quickly took the singer into his arms. "And no complaints, you're being carried."

"Yeah, fine," Lucille mumbled, slowly wrapping his arms around the taller man's neck. "What did you make for dinner?"

"Just some pizzas. The type that you only need to warm up in the oven," the violinist replied. "Didn't really feel like actually making something, sorry."

"Pizzas are great!" Eles exclaimed enthusiastically. "What kind are they? The ones with salami?"

"Yeah." A bit unsurely, Kohaku looked down at the singer. "Babe, it's that okay with you too?"

Knowing that his friend would probably be concerned enough about his health to make something else just for him, if he said no, Lucille nodded. "It sounds fine." He wasn't even really that hungry, but at least pizzas were pretty tasty. "But I don't think I'll manage to eat a whole pizza."

"Just some pieces would be enough to give your body something to work on. Especially if you insist on trying to walk around now, you should make sure to eat enough."

"I know, honey." A soft sigh. "But… I think it'll be a bit longer until I can really start walking around. I don't want to sleep for hours, just to be able to walk for a few minutes."

The violinist looked at him surprised, and also a bit relieved. "Can't say I don't agree with that. I mean, this time I was asleep too, most of the time. But it was kinda scary how deep asleep you were. I mean, I even pulled you to the other side of the bed so I could use you as a blanket, and you didn't even respond."

Lucille only sighed, before giving his friend a soft kiss onto his cheek. "Maybe that's because you're just too comfy."

"Yeah, just blame me," Kohaku chuckled softly, apparently getting the hint of Lucille no longer wanting to talk about it. "Either way, go eat now." Carefully holding on to the blonde, he sat down. "Or should I feed you?"

Being quite comfortable on the violinist's lap, Lucille was tempted to say yes on that last question. But then Kohaku would have a cold dinner himself again. Softly, he shook his head. "I'll manage." Slowly, he picked up a slice of pizza and held it with both hands while eating, making sure it wouldn't drop. Eles ate the same way, Kohaku only used one hand since he used his other arm to hold the blonde. "Mmh, tasty!"

Within minutes, they had all eaten enough. Somehow, the blonde had even manage to finishes almost a whole pizza, before he suddenly fell asleep against his friend. Still holding him carefully, Kohaku looked at him. "I don't care if I happen to catch a pneumonia, he's not allowed to walk even one step tomorrow."

"If that would happen, then how did you plan to stop him?" Eles commented dryly.

"Maybe I'll just lay on him," Kohaku responded, chuckling softly. "It's not like he'd be able to get away then."

"Geez…" Grinning, the girl started cleaning up the table. "Well, he's not likely to start walking around now, so why don't you go put him to bed? I'll clean up here."

"Okay." Just when Kohaku came back from his and Lucille's bedroom, to see if Eles needed any help, a soft knock on the front door sounded through the house. "Coming!" he called. When he opened the door, a rather nervous looking man with a queen's army uniform looked back at him. "Yeah?" He knew that wasn't a polite greeting, but when had he even been polite?

"Good evening, my name is Pierre, messenger of the queen's army. I'm here to inform you of some… rather disturbing news," the man said softly. "Could I please come in to talk for a moment?"

Finding the man himself somewhat disturbing, Kohaku just stared at him for a moment, but then stepped back. "Sure." For easier talking, Kohaku took him to the kitchen table, while Eles quickly retreated to the living room to be able to hear their conversation. "What do you mean 'disturbing'?"

"Well, that ship's crew you and your partner stopped… They had been taking to the large prison in the capitol, to be judged upon. However, some days ago the captain somehow disappeared. We have no leads at all, therefore we can't start a search. We'd have no idea where to look. We have suspicions, however, that he'll try again to fulfill his plans of creating a guignol army, the largest one ever."

A short silence. "Yeah… that'd count as disturbing."

"Indeed. Since you and your partner managed to stop him and his crew last time, the queen commanded me to inform you of the assignment she wants you to do. To find that captain, any way possible, and to stop him again. If lethal actions are necessary, you'll be free to use them."

Which was practically a license to kill, Kohaku realized. "When will we have to do that?"

"As soon as your companion is fully recovered. It'll take the captain months to set up a new way to collect people to turn, so there's no direct hurry." The man looked at him somewhat nervously again. "I heard he was injured pretty badly, your partner I mean. How is he doing?"

"Does the queen want to know, or you?" Kohaku couldn't help asking, wondering honestly whether the queen was worried even slightly about her brother. If she wasn't, though, he'd rather have Lucille not knowing that.

The almost pitiful look in the messenger's eyes said enough. "She… didn't inquire any information on his health. I just wanted to know. I met him once, and he seemed like a nice person."

Like he'd expected. Kohaku sighed softly, before replying; "He's been out of his coma for two weeks now. He's still too weak to be able to walk around freely, but he's slowly recovering. He's sleeping at the moment."

"I was sleeping, yes," a quiet voice suddenly sounded from the doorway. Both Kohaku and Pierre looked up to see the singer standing there, leaning heavily against the doorpost. Even though his face was paler than usual, and he had obviously heard at least most of their conversation, he smiled softly.

"Didn't I tell you to take easy?" Kohaku growled. "Seriously, you're supposed to be resting!"

"Sorry, honey," Lucille grinned. That fake smile almost hurt to see, after it being absent for so long. Unsteadily, he let go of the doorpost to walk a few steps to the table, but nearly collapsed halfway. "Ouch… Wow, you're quick." Almost surprised, he looked up at Kohaku, who had practically thrown himself at the blonde to catch him. Glaring at Lucille, he carried him to the table and sat him down on a seat next to his own. Even though the blonde looked rather uncomfortable, he probably wouldn't appreciate it to be seated on Kohaku's lap while an outsider was there to see it. Not that this looked that much better, him leaning on the table, his chin resting on his arms.

"I'm sorry to have to tell you about this, while you're still unwell," the messenger apologized.

"Are you new in the queens army?" Lucille asked, apparently for no particular reason. The look on his face was somewhat cold, probably due to him trying to hide his exhaustion, but his crystal blue eyes just showed curiosity.

"Y-yes." Uncomfortable, Pierre looked down. "Is it that obvious?"

The blonde smiled softly, a honest one this time. "You're friendly, unlike most of the queens pawns. And you said that I seemed like a nice guy when you met me, which means you haven't been in the army for many years."

That earned him a curious look, but luckily the messenger didn't seem to have the courage to ask for more of an explanation. "I've only been a messenger for about half a year now, indeed. To be honest, this was the first time I actually had an important message to deliver."

"Thought so." Blinking slowly, the blonde let out a tired sigh. "Try not to become one of those soulless marionettes that most of the queen's pawns are. You're way too nice to become like that."

A somewhat wry smile. "That's been one of my main goals since like a week after I started on the job."

"Mmh. Good." Another slow blink, and then his eyes fell shut. "Sorry, I don't think... I can stay awake… for much… longer…"

"Don't worry, you need to rest." The blonde didn't reply to that, already drifting off to sleep. "I guess he's not too troubled by the assignment."

The messenger smiled unsurely. "Well, I should leave. My car is parked at the village, and I'm supposed to be back in the next town before the night." He didn't seem too eager though, looking through the window like a werewolf could show up at any moment.

Almost annoyed with himself for what he was going to say, Kohaku sighed. "If you'd like, I could drive you to the village. It'll only spare you a few minutes, but forests aren't that safe at night, these days."

"That'd be great, if it isn't too much trouble," Pierre accepted, obviously relieved.

"Just wait a sec then, I'll have to dump this guy in bed first." Carefully, he lifted the blonde into his arms and walked to the bedroom. Eles suddenly came running after him, to stay with Lucille for a while. "Don't be too worried, okay? We'll get that bastard, and this time it'll be all four of us, not just me and Lucille."

"Yeah," she nodded, sitting down at the edge of the bed, gently stroking Lucille's soft hair. "I just hope he'll be okay too. Also about the fact that the queen, his own sister, hasn't even asked about his health."

"Just be extra sweet to him if he wakes up while you're with him," Kohaku smiled, walking away already. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Okay."

Pierre was already waiting at the door, and some minutes later Kohaku dropped him off by his own car. "Take care," the messenger greeted.

"You too." While he turned the car and drove back to the forest, he saw the messenger waving at him and briefly waved back. Well, after most of the queen's dogs they had met, this one certainly was a nice exception. Hopefully, he'd stay that way.

By the time he was back at the small house, he felt like he could fall asleep any moment, his headache having returned a bit. "Damn…" he hissed, remembering the fact that fevers usually got worse at night. Hopefully it wouldn't be bad enough to accidentally wake up Lucille with coughing or anything. "He's still sleeping?" he asked Eles, as soon as he walked back into the bedroom.

"Yeah." She yawned. "I think I'll go to bed to, if you don't mind."

"Sleep well, then."

"Sleep well," she replied with a smile, before turning around to give Lucille a goodnight kiss, and then jumping to her feet. Unsurely, she then looked up at Kohaku. "Eh… Could I give you a goodnight kiss too?"

Feeling his cheeks heating up slightly, he kneeled down a bit, allowing her to hug him and give him a quick kiss onto his cheek. Somewhat shyly, he hugged her back. "Seriously, don't worry about the assignment, okay?"

A short silence, before she finally pulled back, allowing him to stand up again. "I'll try. It's not really the assignment itself, that I'm worried about. Rather… if it won't cause him to push himself too hard to get back to work."

"Well, we'll be here to make sure he won't."

She smiled softly, not completely convinced, and walked away to her own room. Letting out a tired sigh, Kohaku turned off the lights and went straight to bed, not even bothering to change his clothes. He fell asleep almost instantly, his arms wrapped tightly around the singer.

* * *

**Yay! The plot is finally showing up! The pace will be slow, though… I like Lucille and Kohaku too much to make this story any shorter than necessary XD**

**I'll update in a week^^**


	21. Just another morning

SEQUEL TO "A RETURN TO THE SEA" This makes no sense unless you've read that one already.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters.

Please R&R

* * *

With a startled gasp, Lucille woke up in the middle of the night, due to Kohaku coughing breathlessly. "Honey?" It was too dark to see much, but he could see his friend sitting up in bed, hunched and clenching his chest with both arms. "Kohaku! W-what's wrong?" The blonde tried to sit up, nearly fell back once, but finally made it. "Kohaku?"

"N-ngg…" Another raw cough, and then the violinist practically slumped against the blonde, trembling even though his body felt way too hot. To his own surprise, Lucille managed not to fall over when his friend's weight suddenly hit him, wrapping his arms around the dark-haired man instead. "S-sorry… Didn't mean to… wake you." It was barely more than an exhausted mumble.

"Don't worry about it, are you okay?" Damn, why couldn't he turn on the lights from here? The violinist was trembling so badly, his chest still heaving with every labored breath he took. If he could only see him… Not that it would give him any more options to help, but at least he'd feel less scared. "Kohaku?"

A faint cough. "J-just the cold. I'm fine." Lucille felt the taller man taking a deep but shaky breath. "My throat was hurting badly enough to wake me up, and then I couldn't stop coughing. Geez, I hate nights when I've caught a cold."

"You seemed to do a lot better during the day, indeed," the singer nodded. "Do you think it'll be less bad if you don't lie down again?"

"Maybe, but I don't think I can get so sleep while sitting. Not when I'm feeling like this." A shaky sigh. "I'd better not lay on my back again, though. Somehow makes it hurt my throat to breath, and coughing is kinda... suffocating at the moment."

Carefully, Lucille laid back down, the violinist still in his arms. "Maybe you shouldn't have gone outside last evening, the car must've been freezing after having stood outside in this weather."

"Yeah, probably," Kohaku admitted. "I hadn't expected to make it this much worse, though." Slowly, he turned onto his side and rested his head against Lucille's neck. The singer almost winced when he felt how warm his friend's forehead was, but managed to only grab him a bit tighter. "My head hurts so much…"

"S-should I get a wet towel?"

"N-nah. Then I wouldn't be able to lie against you like this… Besides, I can't even swallow properly right now, if I'm laying on my back, and it'll fall off anyway when I'm on my side." His talking was a bit slurred, still he seemed to feel too sick to get comfortable enough to sleep. "Why won't that damned headache leave already?" he growled after some minutes.

Forcing himself to stay awake, but too tired to even sing, Lucille just hummed a bit tunelessly. As expected, the violinist's body didn't stop trembling, but his breathing did finally calm down. After another few minutes, Lucille felt that his friend wasn't awake anymore, breathing quick and somewhat shallow against his skin. "You'll be okay," the blonde whispered, when he was absolutely sure that his friend was asleep. "I'll make sure…" A yawn. "…of it…" Barely able to finish that line, he drifted off to sleep.

When he woke again, Kohaku felt a lot better. The soreness of his throat had lessened noticeably, and so had the headache. Letting out a relieved sigh, he turned onto his side and opened his eyes, immediately seeing Lucille's beautiful face only inches away from his. "Babe, you look amazing," he whispered, soft enough not to wake the blonde singer. Still, Lucille stirred faintly in his sleep, probably due to the warm breath on his face. Quickly, Kohaku kept as quiet as he could, remembering how tired his friend had seemed last night, and all too aware of the fact that he hadn't done too much good to Lucille's sleep either. Sure, he hadn't meant for the blonde to wake up due to his coughing, but it wasn't like he could've stopped it.

"Mmh… Kohaku?" Slowly, those crystal blue eyes opened, looking at the violinist with a somewhat hazy gaze. "How are you feeling?"

"Better. Are you okay too? Sorry for making you wake up in the middle of the night."

The blonde smiled faintly at that. "That's okay. It's not like we have to get out of bed early." While yawning directly into Kohaku's face, he closed his eyes again and wrapped his arms around the taller man's waist. "You could use some more sleep too."

"Yeah." Tenderly, he embraced the blonde's thin shoulders, pulling him as tightly against himself as possible. "If you wake up again before I do, just wake me. Not having to make breakfast just isn't worth the amount of effort it takes you to do it instead." And considering he really wanted the blonde to have a nice day, it wouldn't really help if he wouldn't be sleeping all day long. Besides, it truly had scared him to realize that such a seemingly small effort could take such a toll on the frail singer.

"Mmh…" A deep sigh, after which Lucille turned onto his back and pushed his left leg between Kohaku's legs. The violinist didn't respond, only looked up a bit startled, but wasn't sure if the blonde was awake or not. After some moments, the singer took a deep breath and mumbled something unintelligible.

"Lucille?" He kept it as quiet as a whisper, not to disturb the blonde if he wasn't awake. No response, as expected, and Kohaku smiled softly. "You're almost too cute to be real." Letting out a sigh, he buried his face in the long blonde hair that was sprawled over their pillows, the silky feeling and fruity smile reminding him without pause that the beautiful singer truly was real, and here with him.

The sun shining brightly down on his face, through a gap between the curtains, was what woke Lucille up some hours later. "Honey?" Not opening his eyes, he turned onto his side, facing Kohaku's side of the bed. When he heard the soft 'Yes, babe?', and felt a warm hand caressing his cheek, he finally did open his eyes. "Good morning."

"Good morning to you too," the violinist smiled. "Feeling well rested?"

"Yeah." Carefully, Lucille sat up and shook his hair away from his face. "You still feeling better?"

"Yup. Even better than some hours ago, actually." The violinist chuckled softly when the blonde gently pulled at his arm to make him sit up to. "You really do seem energetic today."

"I guess I am. I mean, I've slept through most of yesterday, even though my body apparently needed it, but it does make me feel rather restless now."

"Then we'll just have to think of a safe way to keep you occupied." Despite that casual response, Lucille saw the slightly worried look on the taller man's face. Indeed, it wasn't just the large amount of sleep that he had gotten, that made him feel restless now. Rather, it was the thought of that bastard captain being free again. And, to be honest, the fact that he had gotten yet another clear prove that his sister hated him, wasn't something he'd like to keep thinking of either. That she hadn't even asked for information about his health, while she knew what had happened, did hurt. Even though he hadn't expected it to be any different.

"Babe?" Gently, the dark-haired man wrapped his arms around the blonde. "Hey, don't think too much about bad stuff, okay?"

"It's just… I hadn't thought she'd care or anything… But the fact that a messenger who I had never personally met before, does ask out of worry how I'm doing, while she doesn't… just hurts."

"You did try to kill her once," Kohaku remarked thoughtlessly, and honestly wished he could take those words back when he felt Lucille stiffen. "I didn't mean it in a bad way!" he hastily said. "I just meant, that things are completely different since your childhood. And didn't you say yourself, that ever since she was forced to become queen, she hasn't been your sister anymore? Not the person you knew at all?" To his relieve, the blonde relaxed against him again, even cuddling closer. "You know it's only the horrible, selfish doll she became, who doesn't care. The little sister who did care about you, isn't there anymore."

"I know. It doesn't make it any easier to think about my past, though. Or even about the current time." A deep breath, before he went on; "The past few weeks, despite that I was in a coma for a month, have been so wonderful. So safe and without any need to hide behind a mental wall. I almost could forget about… well, about my life. Our lives. This assignment, the mere reminder that there's still a world besides this house and this forest and that small village, makes it hard to stop thinking about everything again."

"You'll have to try to, since we'll be here for at least another few months. The doctors said that you'd that long to recover fully, and I'm not planning on rushing that. If there's anything urgent, the official orchestra can do some real work for once."

"Then make me laugh. Make me have fun, otherwise I think I'll drive myself crazy eventually." Lucille's voice sounded somewhat strained.

"Hey, what's wrong suddenly anyway? You seemed in such a good mood when you had only just woken up."

"Well, then the memory of yesterday evening hit me. After which it hit me that life won't keep as easy as it is now. And now my mind can't stop reminding me of the fact that real life is going to return inevitably." He smiled, and Kohaku was glad to see that it was a real one. "I know it'll be better than before now."

"How come?" he asked without thinking.

That earned him an amused laugh. "Because, sleepy-head, I have something now that I didn't have before." Tenderly, he kissed the violinist, who accepted that without any reluctance. After some moments, the blonde pulled back to get some breath, still smiling. "I have you now."

Feeling somewhat embarrassed about not getting the hint without Lucille having to explain, the dark-haired man blushed faintly. Well, at least he could blame his fever for it. Suddenly, he noticed the blonde looking up at him, those big crystal-blue eyes somewhat unsure. This time, he did understand and gently took the singer's hand. "I'm glad to have you too. Even if it will be more stressful to be in danger, now that we actually allow ourselves to care about the other, it'll definitely be way better than before. And a lot less lonely, in some ways."

The blonde only nodded at that, before carefully moving to the side of the bed. "Could you help me up? I gotta go to the toilet."

Some minutes later, Lucille was sitting slumped in a kitchen chair while Kohaku quickly made some pancakes for breakfast. Like they hadn't eaten those enough already. Well, he had to admit that it was the only thing he could make without any problems. Besides, he still didn't feel too well, so he wasn't that hungry anyway. Might as well just make sure that Lucille would have a good appetite. To judge by the way that the singer stared at the pile of pancakes when Kohaku put them on the table, it had been a good choice.

"Can I have some sugar? And Syrup? Combined?"

"As long as you stop yourself from drooling all over the table. I'm the one who's gonna have to clean it, you know?" That remark earned him a fake glare, but when he put the requested things on the table, the blonde immediately directed his attention at making the most sweet pancake ever. "I really don't understand how you can like that."

"But it's so sweet, it's perfect!" the blonde exclaimed, while stuffing a big piece of pancake in his mouth, the syrup dripping down his chin.

"You're sweet and perfect too, but you don't require to be drowned in syrup and buried in sugar." He raised an eyebrow when Lucille put another piece of pancake in his mouth, smearing some more syrup on his face. "Even though you're doing a pretty good job at that right now."

"Don't complain, honey." A somewhat amused glance. "After all, you'll have to help me take a bath afterwards. If you think I'm perfect, then you shouldn't have any complaints about seeing me naked."

That comment nearly made Kohaku choke on his own, les sugar-covered pancake. "Geez…" Lucille's soft laugh was enough to stop any unfriendly comments he could have made. Instead, he just pulled at the blonde's hair softly. "Don't scare me while I'm eating. And hurry up." Purposely suggestive, he let his hand slide down the blonde's back. "If you want a bath, you can get it."

* * *

**Nice moment to end this chapter, isn't it? XD**

**I'll update in a week^^**


	22. Sharing a bath

SEQUEL TO "A RETURN TO THE SEA" This makes no sense unless you've read that one already.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters.

Please R&R

* * *

Honestly, Lucille did feel slightly guilty for asking Kohaku to help him take a bath. Even though the violinist obviously didn't mind it at all, the blonde felt how unnaturally warm he still was. Besides, it was clear by the somewhat drowsy way that he responded, that he still didn't feel too well. The fact that after he had sat Lucille down onto the floor, he suddenly leaned his head on the blonde's shoulder, said enough too. Tenderly, Lucille wrapped his arms around the taller man's shoulders. "Honey, are you all right?"

"That damned headache is coming back," Kohaku growled.

"Then…" He felt his cheeks heating up a bit. "Why don't you just come into the bath with me?"

"That'd be awkward."

"But… it'll be warm. And you don't have anything that I don't have either." Shyly, he tugged at the violinist's shirt to get him to look at him. "Please? It'd make me feel a lot less like a burden if you won't be sitting at the edge while I'm in the bath. And… it'll be less awkward to me if we're both undressed, instead of just me."

Kohaku smiled softly at that. "Well, okay then. But only because you want me to."

"Yay!" Happily, Lucille gave his friend a kiss. "Let's hurry then."

The blonde only needed a little help to get undressed this time, and Kohaku got undressed much quicker so he could turn on the tab already to let the bath fill up. Lucille couldn't help but to notice how much bath-soap he threw in, though, like not being able to see underneath the water would make him feel less awkward. Well, if the violinist felt better that way, Lucille didn't have any complaints. After about five minutes, Kohaku carefully helped him into the bath, before getting in himself.

It was a bit tight, side by side like this, and the bubbles from the soap almost reached Lucille's chin. But it wasn't uncomfortable at all, with the violinist's body so closely against him. The only thing that was, he had to admit, a bit awkward, was when Kohaku had to turn half onto his side to clean Lucille's face. Being all slippery due to the soap and water, the violinist had to be careful not to slip and end up on top of the blonde. Besides the fact that they were both naked, Lucille didn't really feel like drowning.

"You're all cleaned up," Kohaku finally announced, throwing the washcloth somewhere into the other side of the bath. In response, the blonde gently forced him to lay down against the side of the bath too, and then rested his head against the taller man's shoulder. "You really like this, don't you?" the violinist remarked.

"I do. It feels so… intimate and yet safe." A soft sigh. "Even though I can't swim, I've always enjoyed baths. But with you, they're even better." Letting out another sigh, he turned onto his side and wrapped his arms around Kohaku's chest. His friend didn't really respond, he just felt him letting out a sigh of his own and wrapping an arm around Lucille's shoulders. Tenderly, Lucille started stroking the violinist's chest and stomach. Still no response.

A bit worried, the singer looked up, and then chuckled softly. Seems like Kohaku hadn't been that uncomfortable after all, since he was sleeping peacefully now. Well, some sleep would only do him good. In this warm water, it might even help his body fight off that cold he had caught. At least, Lucille hoped it would. The only downside was, that he'd have to make sure not to fall asleep, no matter what. Okay, he was pretty sure that if either of them would end up underwater, they'd wake up anyway. But still, if that could be preventer overall, then it was better to do so.

In order to stay awake, though, he'd have to think of something to do. Something besides tracing the soft skin of Kohaku's body with his fingers, occasionally sliding over a scar. Not that it wasn't a nice occupation, especially since the violinist didn't seem to notice it at all, meaning he wouldn't feel embarrassed about Lucille studying him like this. While awake, Kohaku would certainly feel awkward, and try to find a polite way to get Lucille to stop. It was a nice thought, however, that if anyone else would even try to touch Kohaku like this, they wouldn't get away with only being politely stopped. Instead, they'd probably have to run for their lives.

Feeling another scar, he paused for a moment. Unlike the rough, non-professionally stitched ones, this one was smooth. Not really like it had been stitched, more like it was just an old scratch that had never healed over completely right. He found it to be interesting, even though he didn't really know why. Maybe because these scars marked occasions in Kohaku's life, maybe because he just wanted to know every inch of the violinist's body. Moving his hand a bit lower, towards the other man's abdomen, he ignored the scars and instead concentrated on the smooth muscles underneath his hand.

"Mmh… and then you dare to call me perfect," Lucille breathed in Kohaku's ear, causing the violinist to stir a bit. "To me, you're the one who's perfect." And so incredibly attractive, in so many ways. Forcing himself to stop thinking along those lines, after all he was still too weak for anything it could lead to, he decided to concentrate on feeling Kohaku's breathing. It was somewhat quickened, probably due to the hot water and his fever, but also relaxed and even. So soothing.

Unable to stifle a yawn, he pressed his face against Kohaku's throat. Geez, staying awake was harder than he had suspected. Nearly impossible, even. Forcing himself not to close his eyes, he concentrated on Kohaku's breathing again. Not the best way to stay awake either, he realized, as he felt his own body getting somewhat numbed by sleep already. Well, at least his mind was still awake. Or something like it. Slowly, he closed his eyes, deciding that a short nap wouldn't cause any harm. Within moments, he drifted off to a deep slumber.

Warm. Wet. Oh, right, he was still lying in the bathtub with Lucille. Yawning widely, Kohaku opened his eyes and looked at the blonde. His head was pillowed on the violinist's shoulder, thin arms wrapped around the taller man's waist, and he obviously was asleep. Which was a good thing, he supposed, though it did give him one problem. Although reluctant to wake Lucille up, they'd have to get out of this bath. After all, bathwater wasn't meant to stay hot for hours, therefore it was starting to get quite chilly in here.

"Wake up, babe," Kohaku said softly, patting the blonde's shoulder. As usual, he didn't wake immediately, only mumbled something unintelligible and slept on. "Lucille! Come on, babe, the water is getting cold."

"Already?" the singer finally moaned. "Don't wanna get out yet."

"Well, you don't have much of a choice," the taller man grinned, which earned him a rather sleepy glare. "Look at it from the bright side, as long as we're living in this house, we can take a bath together every few days, if you'd like."

"True," Lucille admitted, then suddenly kissed Kohaku tenderly. "I'm glad you're willing to do that for me, honey. Thanks."

The violinist felt his cheeks heating up a bit. "Well, with you I don't dislike it that much to make myself vulnerable. If I did, I wouldn't have just fallen asleep." Sure, his clothes weren't bullet-proof or anything either, and wouldn't give him much protection in a fight. And even when sitting up while sleeping, he still wouldn't react to sudden danger quickly enough not to get harmed in any way. But still, lying naked in a bathtub like right now, had always made him feel uncomfortably vulnerable. And, he had to admit, somewhat self-conscious. After all, he knew that the evidence of a rough life would get noticed easily when looking at his skin.

Not that he felt self-conscious right now, though. He'd been lying here for hours, and had fallen asleep before the blonde. Therefore, it was safe to assume that the blonde had seen pretty much all of him. Besides, he loved the singer for very good reasons, and he knew they'd never judge each other on anything. Which doesn't mean that he didn't find it rather awkward when he noticed Lucille practically checking him out. The bubbles of the soap had disappeared already, leaving nothing to hide their bodies. Well, it wasn't less than fair, since he had seen the blonde naked before. It was the look in Lucille eyes, which scared him.

"Eh, Lucille?"

"Mmh…" Smiling softly, the singer caressed the violinist's chest and abdomen. "You look great like this."

Suddenly feeling a bit tempted to test if it were possible to drown himself in here, Kohaku looked away in an effort to hide his reddened cheeks from the singer's view. "Don't look at me like that."

"But… I like looking at you." Those big blue eyes looked at him questioningly. "You look at me too."

"But your body is perfect, no one would see anything bad about you." Okay, that came out a bit too much like an insecure teenager than he had wanted it too. "Well, you know. Besides, in my experience it never turns out well when I'm in a vulnerable position and someone stares at me like that."

"I understand," the blonde nodded, while quickly pulling the plug with his toe. "You shouldn't be so unsure about how you look, though. It doesn't suit you, and I think it's completely unnecessary." Kohaku almost jumped when Lucille gave him a unforeseen kiss on his chest. "You've got exactly the type of muscles that I like, strong but yet soft. And the scars merely make me curious. You really gotta tell me the story behind each one, if you ever feel like it."

"That, I don't mind. It's pretty boring, though, most of them are from fights when I was somewhere at the start of puberty," he admitted dryly.

"Still. It's part of you, so I'd like hearing about it." Shivering a bit, he curled up against the violinist. "Anyhow, can you please help me dry myself? It's freezing here."

* * *

**I'll update in a week^^**


	23. Snow cold walk

SEQUEL TO "A RETURN TO THE SEA" This makes no sense unless you've read that one already.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters.

Please R&R

* * *

"What's for lunch?" Lucille asked, while Kohaku carried him out of the bathroom. His long blonde hair was currently tied up in a bun, but nevertheless left a trail of water on the floor. It was annoying him a bit, but the growling of his stomach was a good distraction.

"Bread, I guess. I wasn't really planning on making something big." A soft chuckle. "Considering how little I can cook, I'd better save that for dinners."

"Mmh, yeah," he laughed. "But at least you always try your best at it, that's what counts."

"That's good then, since you don't exactly have any other choice than to eat what I make." Carefully, the violinist sat him down onto a chair. "What do you want on your bread? Something sweet, I presume?" That earned him a smirk from the blonde. "Can you make it yourself or should I do it?"

"I'll see how far I can get. By the way, would you mind taking me outside for a bit, this afternoon? Only if your cold won't get worse because of it."

It probably would, but it wasn't so bad anymore right now. It wouldn't get much worse than it had last night, and that was worth it to make Lucille happy. "As long as it's only a few minutes, it'll be fine."

"This time, though, make sure that you're dressed as warm as possible too," Lucille remarked. "To be honest, I'd really like to practice singing a bit, and the forest would be great. It's too large for my voice to maintain its strength, so I can sing however I want without truly affecting anyone in a bad way."

"Ah." That explained the sudden urge to be outside. "Good idea, I guess. If you don't mind, I could bring my violin." He'd never particularly liked to play it merely for fun, but together with Lucille it could be nice.

The singer immediately smiled happily. "Yay! Then let's hurry eating!"

"Don't be hasty, we'll have to wait for your hair to dry a bit anyway," Kohaku warned. "Otherwise that little piece of brains that you still have will freeze. That would be a waste." Giving Lucille a small kiss onto his head, he felt the frail blonde moving closer to him, before continuing to eat. "Shouldn't you eat some more?"

"Nah. I'm not really hungry, to be honest." Without too much enthusiasm, he started eating a plain pancake. Maybe he should take the effort of putting some sugar or syrup on it, he decided. Like this, he really wouldn't be able to eat more than one of these things. Geez, he'd already spend one day in bed because of this damned cold, but it still didn't seem to be disappearing completely. Which made him seriously doubt whether it was a good idea to go walk in the forest with Lucille, when he knew for sure that the snow would make him wet and cold. Still, he had already promised the blonde, so he couldn't exactly take back his word. Especially not since he knew how much Lucille looked forward to going outside. No wonder, having to spend months practically only resting inside the house, every short trip outside would be something great for the singer.

"Why don't you put something on that?" Lucille asked.

"Eh?" Realizing he had been staring into the distance for some time, Kohaku reached out for the sugar. "Yeah, I was just trying to decide on that."

As usual, it took hours for Lucille's hair to dry properly, but late afternoon they could finally go outside to take a walk. "You sure you're warm enough?" Kohaku asked softly, while putting on some warm clothes himself too.

"Yeah, though I might suffer a heatstroke if we don't get out of the house soon," the singer grinned, wearing two pairs of pants and three shirts with a thick coat over them. "Are you warm enough too?"

"Yep." Carefully, Kohaku helped the blonde to climb onto his back. "We won't stay out too long, okay? I want to start making dinner before Eles comes home." Lucille wrapped his arms around the violinist's neck, making him cough. "Besides, walking in the snow for hours wouldn't do too much good for my cold."

"Oh, your cold would be happy with it. Your body, on the contrary…" Lucille chuckled, tenderly kissing Kohaku's neck. "You do seem to have a fever," he then remarked, the humor in his voice replaced by worry. Kohaku only shook his head, signaling the blonde not to worry about it, and walked out the door. The wind made him shiver a bit, but luckily Lucille didn't seem to notice it. Instead, he smiled brightly and tried to climb off the violinist's back. "Help me walk, the snow is still fresh!"

"Duh, we and Eles are the only ones who come here," Kohaku remarked with a chuckle. "Squirrels and birds don't leave huge footprints, you know."

"Yes, I know!" Lucille defended himself, grabbing his friend's arm tightly not to fall down. He could feel Kohaku wobble a bit before regaining his balance, but decided not to say anything about it. The violinist wouldn't admit feeling ill anyway, and if he'd keep nagging then they'd probably go back inside the house. Even though he didn't quite feel comfortable with letting Kohaku walk around in the cold like this, he still enjoyed walking in the snow. After all, anything was better than to sit either on the couch or in bed, and only rest and sleep all day long.

"You're doing better than the last time," Kohaku suddenly commented, stirring Lucille away from his thoughts. Indeed, the blonde realized when he looked behind, he had walked for at least seven feet now. Last time, a few mere steps had been his limit. Smiling happily, he walked on. "Let's not go too far, okay?" his friend reminded him. "I still have to prepare dinner, and neither of us are in the best shape to take a long walk in a snowstorm."

"It's hardly a snowstorm," Lucille replied, looking up at the snow silently drifting from the sky. "But you're right. Sadly." Still, he walked just a little bit further until they had reached a particularly large tree. "Help me to remember, next time I have to walk past this tree and back."

"Sure. But don't push yourself, okay? I don't want to have to carry you back and have you asleep for a whole day." A somewhat husky chuckle. "Even though it's nice and calm when you aren't awake, it's still nicer when you're there to talk and laugh with."

"Well then, it's a good thing that I didn't keep in a state like a vegetable's for the rest of my life," the singer remarked, smiling faintly. "Especially because I love to see you smile too."

In response, Kohaku leaned down and kissed the blonde onto his cheek, quickly pulling back when the singer tried to kiss his lips. "I really think my cold is getting worse, it's starting to feel like a flu. It'd be bad if you'd get it too, so we shouldn't kiss mouth to mouth."

"For how long?" Lucille groaned.

"Just a week, babe. I'd never forgive myself if you'd catch a flu because of me."

"Well, you got that cold from me in the first place, so shouldn't I be immune?"

"To the cold, yes. But like I said, it feels like it has changed into a flu. A pretty bad one. Which makes the bacteria different from before, so you could get ill from them too." Taking a somewhat shaky breath, Kohaku turned around. "Speaking of which, would you mind it a lot if we'd turn back already? I really don't feel good."

Looking up at his friend, Lucille was startled to see how pale he had gotten within only mere minutes, and how hazy the look in his eyes seemed. Like he was practically fighting to stay on his feet. "Kohaku! Why didn't you say anything sooner, you moron!"

A bit surprised, the violinist looked back at him, the fact that he didn't immediately defended himself a clear indication that he indeed wasn't feeling well at all. "Do I look that bad?"

"You look like a walking corpse, suddenly." Worriedly, the blonde put a hand on the taller man's forehead. "And that fever of yours got worse again."

"I guessed so." Slowly, Kohaku started walking again, gently forcing Lucille to walk along. Not that the blonde had much of a choice anyway, since he wouldn't come very far without his friend to lean on. Still, he tried to walk as good as he could, not leaning on his friend too heavily. If Kohaku would lose his balance, the singer would fall too. And honestly, he wasn't sure if his friend would be strong enough right now to drag him back onto his feet. Either way, he didn't feel any urge to find that out.

"Kohaku!" he practically yelled, when the taller man suddenly tripped and almost fell.

Regaining his balance, the dark-haired man looked at him. "Sorry. I tripped over something."

Indeed, there was something dark covered in the snow, almost buried underneath the microscopic frozen crystals. Carefully letting go of Kohaku's arm, Lucille kneeled down to uncover it. "It's fabric," he remarked surprised, picking it up. "Who could have lost that here? I don't recognize it."

"Wait… let me see." Slowly, Kohaku took the fabric from Lucille's hands and inspected it closely. "It… it looks like a ripped off piece of that coat the messenger was wearing."

"That guy named Pierre?" Lucille remembered vaguely. Indeed, he had been wearing a coat of the same dark-blue fabric like this. The blonde had been half-asleep that evening, but he did remember that the man had told that he was supposed to be back in the nearby city that evening. And Kohaku brought him to the village by car, so how did the piece of fabric end up here? Had Pierre come back here with another message? No, that made no sense, Lucille was at home all day long, and tried not to sleep whenever Kohaku was out doing groceries. There was no way they could've missed him if he had came by.

"Crap…" the violinist suddenly mumbled, staring at one particular spot on the fabric. "There's a message here. It says 'don't get too comfortable."

"The queen?"

"Probably." Lucille tried to see the writing too, but Kohaku pulled it away rather quickly. "What, don't you trust me?"

"Show me it. Whatever it is that you don't want me to see," the singer commanded coldly.

"Look… don't think too much about it." With obvious reluctance, the violinist showed him the writing. Despite his effort to not to show anything, Lucille couldn't help but to let out a shocked gasp. Underneath the line that Kohaku had already read out loud, there was another, smaller line of text. 'Has the curse left you yet? Don't think so' it read, the sadistic intention almost visible underneath it. What nearly made him nauseous, though, was the text itself. It was written in blood.

"God… no…" He didn't realize his legs giving out, until Kohaku caught him. Wrapped in the violinist's strong arms, he slowly managed to calm himself down. "M-maybe they didn't kill him? Only took some blood?"

"Even for that bitch, it'd make no sense to kill one of her own pawns just to bug you. She's just trying to force you back to work, you shouldn't let it get to you." Gently, Kohaku hugged the smaller man. "You need to recover fully first, and you're obviously not that far." An annoyed sigh. "Geez, she should realize that it'll only slow down your recovery, if you're stressed out."

Taking a deep breath, the singer stood up straight, getting out of Kohaku's embrace. "Indeed. I shouldn't stress about it. Let's get back inside, you do need to be worried about."

"I don't," the taller man grumbled. His pale face and reddened cheeks made that statement lose all its credibility, though.

"Honey, you really do look ill. Don't act like it's only a slight flu, while you should be in bed right now." Sending the violinist a guilty look, the blonde added; "If you were feeling like this before we went out, you should have just refused."

"I didn't feel this bad. It just felt like a bad cold, it started going worse when we walked around here in the cold." He coughed. "Babe, can we hurry a bit?"

"Yeah, sure." As fast as he could without falling, Lucille started walking again, Kohaku quickly picking up the pace to keep steadying him. Within a few minutes, they got back to the house and immediately went for the bedroom. "Now, redress and get to bed!"

"I have to make dinner, babe," the violinist reminded him dryly. "Don't worry, I can handle a few more hours before I'll need to get some sleep."

"Why don't I believe that?" the singer mumbled, when Kohaku coughed again with a pained look on his face. "At least go to bed right after dinner. And let me help cooking."

At that, his friend smiled faintly. "Well, okay then. You're not getting anywhere near to knifes or the stove, though."

* * *

**So, this revealed my reason for creating Pierre the messenger. Because I needed his blood XD**

**I'll update again next week^^**


	24. Dinner without appetite

SEQUEL TO "A RETURN TO THE SEA" This makes no sense unless you've read that one already.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters.

Please R&R

* * *

Worriedly, Lucille glanced over at Kohaku every few minutes. Even though the violinist obviously tried not to let it show, it was clear that he wasn't feeling well at all. For starters, he hadn't even complained when the singer had grabbed a knife to help slice the vegetables, even though the blonde had to lean against the dresser not to lose his balance. How pale Kohaku's face was, and how he trembled was a pretty clear hint too. "Honey, shouldn't you sit down for a bit?" Lucille asked softly, when the violinist suddenly turned away and coughed again.

"Nah, I'm fine." Shivering, he went on with baking a piece of chicken. "And be careful with that knife." Again, he suddenly turned away, coughing breathlessly. This time, though, his knees gave way and he landed on the floor with a soft thud. "D-damn…" The coughing didn't seem to stop by itself, causing him to gasp for air.

Lucille hurriedly filled a glass with water and carefully made his friend drink a bit in between the gasps and coughs. Finally, the coughing ceased. "Kohaku, you have to sit down!"

"I'm already sitting. M-moron," the violinist chuckled faintly, his face even paler than before. "Don't worry so much." Slowly, he tried to stand up, grabbing the edge of the table to keep his balance. "Geez… I never get sick, and just when it's the least convenient I do catch a cold. Not fair."

Letting out a sigh, the blonde practically pushed Kohaku down onto a kitchen chair. "Sit. I'll try to finish making dinner as far as I can, and Eles can help too when she gets home. Don't push yourself just for one single meal. I doubt whether your even that hungry yourself."

"Not really," the violinist admitted, folding his arms on the table and using them as a pillow. "Just thirsty."

"Then drink the rest of the water," Lucille remarked, putting the glass down on the table, next to his friend. "Now shut up and relax."

Reluctantly, the violinist drank the rest of the water, the pained look on his face enough to tell Lucille that he had a sore throat. "If you need help, say so," he then mumbled, laying his head on his arms again and closing his eyes. Worriedly, Lucille looked at him for a moment, before going back to work on dinner.

Like expected, the violinist barely ate anything and didn't even try to make Lucille eat more at all. That last part was a good thing, the blonde supposed, since he was way too busy worrying to eat much. The silence didn't make it any better either, as even Eles kept sending Kohaku worried glances. "Eh, I could ask my boss for a few days off, to help out here," she offered shyly.

"Then there'll be no money to buy food, so you can't do that," Kohaku responded, his voice less steady than normal. "And stop giving me those looks, I'll be fine in a few days." A breathless cough, and his face tensed in pain for a moment. "I'd just wish coughing didn't hurt so much."

"Didn't we have something again a sore throat?" Lucille remembered.

"It's not really my throat. My chest hurts when I cough, I think my lungs are a bit irritated." Seemingly a bit annoyed, the violinist looked at the singer. "By the way, you should eat more."

"But I'm not hungry," Lucille objected, deciding it wouldn't be a great idea to tell his friend that worrying was the cause for his lack of appetite. Although it could be seen as a complement that the blonde cared so much, he knew Kohaku would only call him a moron and feel guilty if he'd know.

"Ill or not, I can still shove your dinner down your throat," Kohaku threatened.

"You're not eating either." The glare that he got sent for that, almost gave him goosebumps. "Geez, you're childish."

After a short silence, the violinist sighed tiredly. "If I eat, will you eat too?"

Damn, that didn't leave him with much of a choice. He really didn't feel like eating, but if it would mean that Kohaku would eat some more too, then he couldn't say no. "Okay, then." When Kohaku reluctantly took a bite of his dinner, Lucille did the same with just as much reluctance. It took about half an hour, but finally their plates were empty. Honestly, Lucille had to admit that he felt better after eating. After all, his body was still working hard to recover from the coma, and every source of energy was welcome. Kohaku, on the other hand, seemed about ready to throw up, his face even paler that earlier.

"Kohaku? Are you okay?" Eles asked unsurely, while cleaning the plates and tableware.

"Yeah." A short reply, without even looking up.

"Usually, you're a lot better at lying," Lucille remarked dryly, which earned him a weak glare. "When you feel up to it, shall I walk with you to bed?"

"Tch, like you're any help."

A twinge of hurt shot through the blonde, despite the fact that Kohaku probably hadn't even meant anything with that remark. "I can try," he responded softly, staring at the table.

"I know. Sorry, I shouldn't have said that." A shaky sigh, after which the violinist stood up. "Let's go then. I'm gonna have to help you redress first anyway."

"If there's anything I can do, please say so," Eles remarked quickly, obviously eager to help.

"Just don't keep yourself awake worrying tonight," Lucille responded gently. "After all, your job is the only way of getting enough money for food, right now."

"Okay." Before the two men could walk away, she quickly ran to them to give each of them a goodnight-kiss. "Sleep well."

"You too," the blonde replied, before carefully standing up. "Kohaku, can I hold on to your arm?"

"Sure. Just try to keep your balance, okay? If you fall, I'm not sure if I can keep you up right now." Admitting that seemed to make him feel a bit embarrassed, Lucille noticed. So he just nodded and smiled reassuringly at his friend, trying to lean as little on him as possible. Without any accidents they got to their bedroom, and Kohaku gently helped Lucille onto the bed before sitting down on his own side. To his own surprise, Lucille managed to get undressed without any help, although a bit slower than his friend.

"Sleep well," he said softly, as soon as they were both in bed. As a reply, he felt Kohaku cuddling against him and gently wrapped his arms around the violinist. Within moments, the taller man had drifted off to sleep. Lucille wasn't so lucky, though. Feeling the heat radiating from the violinist's body, and hearing his slightly labored breathing, didn't exactly help the blonde to relax. Shouldn't they call a doctor or something? It couldn't be good that this cold kept getting worse, then better, then worse again. He almost hoped that it would really get bad now, if only it would be completely healed afterwards.

Maybe it wouldn't even had gotten worse again, if they hadn't gone outside in the cold today. That though hit him like a slap in the face, and he inadvertently winced. Damn, why hadn't he just waited until Kohaku was completely better, before nagging for a walk in the forest? They wouldn't have found the piece of cloth if they wouldn't have gone outside, but still. Getting that warning wasn't worth Kohaku's health. A soft cough startled him from his thoughts, and immediately he concentrated on his friend again.

Kohaku appeared to be still asleep, his breathing somewhat raspy, which explained the cough. Hopefully, it wouldn't get worse and wake the violinist, or it'd be difficult to make him fall back to sleep. Letting out a shaky sigh, Lucille closed his eyes and tried to sleep. Every single sigh or move Kohaku made, instantly caused him to snap back to awareness, but things wouldn't get any better if he'd be exhausted tomorrow. As a last resort, he searched around the bed for the plush unicorn, and laid it on Kohaku's chest, so he could hug both the unicorn and the violinist at the same time.

It didn't help much, but enough to finally allow the blonde to relax. Still, it took nearly half an hour until he slowly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**Next chapter, Lucille will encounter some… trouble ;)**

**I'll update in a week^^**


	25. Out alone

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters.

Please R&R

**I'm sorry about two things… For being so late with this new chapter (schoolwork, Yaoicon…), and also… for what Lucille will go through in this chapter.  
WARNING: Mentions of rape…**

* * *

Somewhere in the midst of the night, a loud noise woke Lucille, and he sat up startled. "W-what?" No actual response, but he suddenly heard Kohaku coughing breathlessly. "Kohaku? What's wrong?"

"H-hurts… B-breathing hurts," the violinist groaned, roughly grabbing the blonde's hand. "H-help…" It sounded so scared and hurt, Lucille felt himself panicking. "L-Lucille?"

"I'm here. What can I do?" He really wanted to hug his friend as tightly as possible, but that wouldn't exactly help with the breathing problem. "Do you need some water? S-should I call the doctor?"

"No. J-just… please help me to sit up. M-might make it easier to breath."

Carefully, feeling as if he was trying to lift dead weight, Lucille dragged the violinist into a sitting position. Pulling his own pillow up against the wall, he let Kohaku lean against that. "Is this okay?" His friend only nodded in response, barely visible in the darkness. Worriedly, the blonde took hold of Kohaku's hand and gave him a soft kiss onto his cheek. The violinist's skin felt way too hot, clear evidence of a bad fever. Damn, should he get up and get a wet towel, or keep sitting with his friend? Or should he just call for Eles, and hope that the girl would wake up?

"Don't wake Eles," Kohaku mumbled, like he knew what Lucille had been thinking. "She really should go to work tomorrow, we can't miss that money."

"Then, should I go get some cold water and a towel? Your fever seems really high."

"You sure you won't fall if you walk all the way alone?"

"For you, I can do anything," Lucille reassured him, gently pulling up the bed-sheet over Kohaku's shivering body. "I'll be right back, just try to breath calmly." Carefully, he got out of bed and slowly walked a bit. "Should I put on the lights?"

"No. Unless you want to see me looking pathetic," Kohaku responded dryly.

"Another time, honey. When I'm not so worried about you." He didn't get a reply to that, and realized he probably had made his friend feel guilty. Crap. Well, he could worry about that later.

With some effort, he managed to get a bowl of cold water and a towel, and even managed to get back to the bedroom without dropping anything. After putting it down on the nightstand on his side of the bed, he sat down next to Kohaku and put the wet towel on the violinist's forehead. In response, his friend let out a somewhat airless sigh. "Thanks."

"Sure." Feeling the coldness of the room, Lucille got back underneath their blanket and carefully wrapped his arms around his friend, making sure not to make it any harder for him to breath. Evidently, Kohaku didn't mind it at all, since he immediately relaxed and rested his head on the blonde's shoulder. In response, Lucille started caressing the taller man's hair. It was damp from sweat, but that didn't make him feel any reluctance to continue to try and comfort his friend in any way he could. "Try to sleep, okay? If you need anything, I'm right here."

"Only if you'll sleep too."

"But…"

"Babe, I can't sleep if I know you're awake while you should be sleeping too," Kohaku explained softly. "Trust me, I'll wake you up whether I want to or not, if this cold gets any worse."

Cold? It clearly had turned into a lot more than a simple cold by now. Either way, this wasn't a good time to argue about that. So instead, Lucille only nodded in agreement and forced himself to relax and close his eyes. Feeling his friend breathing so shallowly in his arms, wasn't the most comforting thing in the world, though. Shouldn't breathing get easier now that the fever was being brought down? What if he'd choke or anything? Damn. Biting hard on his lower lip, Lucille tried to refrain from panicking.

"Babe… You're trembling almost as badly as I am."

"Sorry. I just hate to see you like this." Guiltily, the blonde buried his face in Kohaku's hair. "Just go to sleep."

"I'm trying. I just can't get comfortable enough," the violinist sighed exhaustedly.

"Sorry," Lucille mumbled, fearing that him leaning against his friend was making it difficult to get comfortable.

"Not because of you. You're warm, and soft… and you holding me is really soothing." A strained cough. "Breathing just hurts too much to ignore the pain, and my head hurts too. And I feel sick."

"If you feel like you're about to throw up, just tell me and I'll grab the nearest trashcan."

"Mmh," Kohaku nodded. "Geez, I hate this fever."

"Let me guess, your whole body feels like you've just ran a marathon?"

"Yeah."

"I know that feeling. If there's anything I can do to help…"

"Just shut up and keep holding me, then. And get some rest, you need it as much as I do."

"Okay." Still feeling desperate to help, Lucille started caressing Kohaku's hair. The violinist didn't seem to mind that at all, it probably was a good thing to give him some distraction from how bad he felt. Well, Lucille was fully willing to distract him any way possible. At least Kohaku was silent now, breathing raspy but steadily. Hopefully he'd fall asleep soon, then maybe he'd feel better in the morning. Honestly, Lucille wasn't sure what he'd do if his friend would feel even worse tomorrow.

Finally, after what felt like ages, Lucille felt Kohaku's body going completely limp, and his breathing evened out. Careful not to wake the violinist, he snuggled closer against him, allowing himself to fall asleep too.

"Mmh…" Slowly waking up, hours later, he realized it was morning already. Damn, he still felt tired. No wonder, really, after last night. That thought instantly woke him up completely, and he quickly checked his friend. Kohaku apparently hadn't moved much during the night, as he was still lying in Lucille's arms. His face was pale and sweaty, his breathing still sounded labored, but at least he didn't seem to have gotten any worse. Gently placing his hand on the violinist forehead, the small blonde felt that the fever had gone down just a bit, despite the fact that the wet towel had fallen and was now buried somewhere between the blanket.

"Just sleep on, I'll try to get myself dressed and make some breakfast," Lucille whispered, before carefully letting go of his friend. Kohaku stirred a bit when he lost contact with Lucille's warm body, but relaxed again when the singer wrapped the blanket around him. Before getting himself some clothes from his suitcase, Lucille searched for the towel and dipped it in the bowl of water, before putting it back against Kohaku's forehead. The lower his fever would get, the better.

Getting dressed went more smoothly than he had feared, walking around was an entirely different matter. Barely having slept last night hadn't done any good for his body, he couldn't argue with that as he had to practically crawl against the walls to get to the kitchen. Evidently, Eles had already left for work, as she was nowhere to be seen. Good. Although Lucille could understand that she'd feel more useful by helping them out in the house, it was a fact that they wouldn't be able to get by right now if it wasn't for her job.

Still, Lucille couldn't help but to feel guilty about putting so much pressure on the girl. If only he'd be fully recovered already, then they could get back to work as the unofficial royal orchestra, and they could earn money that way. For now, all he could do was to take care of Kohaku while he was ill, and to try not to overexert himself. His own weakness right now annoyed him to no end, honestly. If he'd ever get that captain of that damned ship who was the cause of his injury, he wasn't sure which methods of torture he'd try first.

Letting out a sigh, he gathered some fruit and yoghurt, along with two small bowls and spoons. Simple and healthy, since he was pretty sure that anything more complicated would go wrong. Only about ten minutes later, he carefully made his way back to the bedroom and put the two bowls on his nightstand, before walking around the bed and opening the curtains in front of the window, letting the morning light shine into the room. In the bed, Kohaku stirred a bit and then blinked a few times before looking around.

"Good morning, honey," the blonde greeted, sitting down on the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I got run over by a train," Kohaku groaned. "But better than last night. How about you?"

"Eh?"

"Not too tired?"

"Not really." He smiled softly. "However, you shouldn't be worrying about me right now." Turning around before Kohaku could start arguing about that, he picked up the bowls of yoghurt and gave one of them to Kohaku, "There's apple, banana and some pear in it." Foreseeing his friends next comment, he added; "And no, not blood."

"You could have let out the fruit, then you wouldn't have to use a knife."

"Fruit is healthy, and you have to get better soon. No arguing, just eat."

Sending him a faint chuckle, Kohaku started eating. "Tastes nice."

"Thanks," Lucille smiled, starting to eat too. It did taste good indeed, nice and fresh. And if Kohaku thought so too, that must mean that he was indeed feeling better. Last night, he had seemed close to throwing up, while he was eating slow but steadily now. Still, his breathing sounded more and more strained, which worried Lucille more than he wanted the violinist to know.

"Would you mind to tag along to the marketplace today? I should've already gone yesterday, we're almost out of food."

"No way that you're getting out of bed now! Not until you're finally completely healed from that cold."

"But…"

"You still sound like you're fighting for every breath, it'll only get worse if you go outside while it's still freezing." Tenderly, he stroked his friend's hair. "You shouldn't keep pushing yourself. You're really strong, but even you will reach your breaking point eventually. There's no need to consciously force yourself to that point."

Letting out a raspy sigh, which resulted in a cough, Kohaku looked away. "Still, we need food."

"I'll go. It will mean that I'm gone for at least an hour, but it'll be fine."

"You can't walk all the way to the marketplace, and I won't let you go outside on your own!" Immediately, his own body punished him for raising his voice, making him cough breathlessly. "Lucille, I don't want you to get hurt. Or to catch a cold too," he explained after some moments, a lot more quiet. "If you'd get too tired to stay on your feet, you could freeze to death in that forest. Besides…" Another cough, making him visibly wince in pain. "We don't know what the queen is planning to get you back to work faster. She might have pawns in the town."

"Then they won't seriously harm me, since that would defeat the purpose. I'll rest a bit at the marketplace before going back here. There isn't much of a choice, Eles has to work and you're too ill to go. Don't worry so much."

"How can I not worry, after I almost lost you once? I love you."

Despite their argument, Lucille felt a happy smile taking over his face. "I love you too. Which is why you can be sure that I'll return safely. I'll never leave you."

Closing his eyes for a moment, Kohaku sighed again. "Okay then. But at least wait until I'm asleep, otherwise I'll die from worrying."

"Deal. Now, let's finish breakfast first, then you can sleep."

Slowly they finished eating, and Lucille was glad to see that Kohaku had managed to finish the bowl. After returning the bowls to the kitchen, and getting a glass of water for his friend in case he might get thirsty, he sat with him for a while. Kohaku's eyes were already closed again, but his raspy and unsteady breathing was enough to betray that he was still awake. They had decided on letting him continue to sit, since he felt worse when he lay down. Better not to push his body any further.

"Lucille?" the violinist suddenly mumbled, without opening his eyes.

"Yes?"

"Be careful outside, okay?"

"I will. Just go to sleep, hopefully I'll get back here before you wake up again."

"Yeah."

"Sleep well, honey." This time he didn't even get a response, and Kohaku drifted off to sleep within moments. Tenderly, Lucille gave him a kiss onto his cheek, before getting off the bed. His friend didn't even stir, so hopefully he'd stay asleep for at least an hour. Carefully, the blonde dipped the towel in cold water again, and then placed it on Kohaku's forehead. After wrapping the blanket around him as warmly as possible, he finally dressed himself to go outside, grabbed enough money to buy groceries, and left the house.

Cold. It was still snowing, but at least it wasn't bad enough to make it difficult to see. Honestly, he felt nervous enough about having to walk out here alone. Going from tree to tree, supporting himself with leaning against those, he started walking towards the village. Meanwhile, he kept looking around sharply, to see any possible threats before they could reach him. Whoever had placed the message from the queen, written in blood on that piece of fabric, they could very well be waiting here to threaten him in person.

Something made a soft noise in the bushes, and he almost tripped startled. What… Geez. He almost laughed when a small squirrel suddenly ran out of the bushes and fled into a high tree.

Forcing his heartbeat to calm back down, he started moving again. It was so quiet here, suddenly, not even the birds made much sound. It only served to make him more nervous, as somehow every small sound seemed so much more loud and threatening than it should be. And he couldn't even walk faster, his legs were already starting to get sore. "Damn…" he growled, when he nearly tripped again. Well, at least he was already halfway to the village. Still, even that didn't make him feel much better.

What if Kohaku had woken up already, and now sat in bed worrying about him? What if the violinist would try to follow him, despite how ill he was? Or what if the fever was currently getting even worse? What if there was something really wrong? What if the queen would sent someone to kill him, just to hurt Lucille?

Forcing himself to stop thinking, he shook his head. No, that wouldn't happen. He'd reach the marketplace safely, do groceries, and then return home to Kohaku. Hopefully the violinist would feel better, but he just couldn't have gotten worse. It would be fine, it had to.

Far in the distance, he could see the light coming through the trees growing more bright, signaling him that the edge of the forest was getting closer. Almost there. Before his mind even registered the man jumping out of the bushes behind him, two strong rough arms already grabbed him from behind, pulling him into the bushes. "Let go!" he screamed, turning around as far as he could. A masked figure stared coldly back at him with pale brown eyes. The person wore a uniform from the queen's army.

Feeling his legs collapsing underneath him, the blonde stared up at the man. "W-what…" he stammered.

"Queen Gemsilica suspects you're forgetting about real life. Therefore, she sent me to make sure you don't forget your curse. Don't ever think you can escape unhappiness, even with that violinist."

"Don't you dare hurt him!"

"Oh, we won't. In this state, anything we'd do to him would probably kill him, and that would be useless. But, as the Queen said, you don't deserve happiness. We can easily end your happiness without even touching any of your so-called 'friends'."

Something in the man's voice made his blood turn into ice in a mere moment, rendering him completely unable to respond. Still, when he was suddenly pushed onto the cold ground, his body automatically started fighting to get away from underneath the other man. "Let go of me! P-please!"

"Would you rather have me doing this to that cute little pianist?"

"What… n-no…" No. He couldn't mean… If he did… "No!" It came out as a choked cry. "No.." Would this really happen? But he had wanted it to be Kohaku to do this to him. Not some dog of the Queen's, who only wanted to hurt him.

"Too bad, blondie." Roughly, his pants were pulled down a bit, and his face got pushed into the snow. To his own shock, Lucille felt tears streaming down his cheeks. No… This couldn't happen. When he felt the horrible pain in his behind, though, reality was forced upon him mercilessly, and he screamed. His mind practically shut down in self-defense, still it felt like hours before something warm and gross was released inside his body. Undoubtedly some of the most horrible hours of his life, even though they probably had only lasted for mere minutes.

"Now get yourself to that village and find some help. We can't have you dying yet." With that, the man left into the woods, leaving Lucille sitting up shaking.

"Damn…" Growling from the pain in his back and behind, he pulled himself off the ground and redid his pants. He had to get to the village, groceries, help… Vaguely, he realized how badly he was trembling, how strangely numb he felt. But he had to get to the marketplace. He couldn't afford thinking, it'd break him down. Just go to the village, concentrate on that. Slowly, his arms wrapped tightly around himself, he made his way out of the forest. Many people were at the marketplace, no one seemed to pay him any attention.

Groceries, his mind told him hazily. Get groceries, then get back to Kohaku. Taking another step forward, he almost tripped. "Hey, are you all right?" a familiar voice asked. Startled, he turned around. The woman from the plush toy stand. No thread. "Hey, what happened to you? Where is your friend?"

"He… he's at home. Got sick. Have to do groceries, I just… ran into some trouble." He tried his best to smile at her. "I'm fine."

"You don't look fine, boy."

"Well, I can't be expected to look great after a month in a coma," Lucille responded dryly, hoping that his pathetic attempt of humor would convince her that he was all right. Of course, it didn't. He realized that as soon as she took his arm and practically dragged him to the stands selling groceries. "Really, I'm okay. Shouldn't you be at your stand?"

"I'm closed today, I have to visit my daughter this afternoon. Still, I have more than enough time to walk along with you until you're safely back home," she replied.

Walk along with him? He felt more like a dog being dragged along by her. Well, at least the queen wouldn't risk involving random villagers while threatening him. After all, hurting this woman wouldn't do Lucille any harm, therefore it would be of any use to Gemsilica. And to be honest, he wasn't sure whether his legs would hold him for much longer, if he'd have to walk on only his own strength. Most importantly, though, having to keep up his cover of just a regular young man in front of this woman, was distracting him from what had just happened in the forest.

"What do you need?" her voice suddenly shook him from his thoughts.

"Eh, some apples, some baking powder, rice and meat," he mumbled, feeling a bit like a child.

"What kind of meat?" the owner of the stand asked.

Chicken, cow, human? What did it matter to him right now? Damn, he should just concentrate on groceries. "Chicken would be nice," he responded finally.

"Alright then." After having paid the man, and taking the paper bag with groceries, Lucille turned around and started walking back to the forest. Immediately, the woman followed.

"There's a small pharmacy nearby, if you might want to check if they have something that could help your friend," she told him. "Did he catch a cold or anything?"

"A pretty bad one, I think it turned into the flu," the singer replied. "But indeed, it's a good idea to go check it out." With some luck, they'd also have something to erase memories of involuntarily having sex. Although he doubted that. Well, something to ease the pain in his back and behind would be nice too.

"Here it is," the woman pointed out, after less than two minutes of walking. "I'm sure they have something to bring down fevers."

"That'd help a lot," the blonde nodded. The sooner Kohaku would be better, the less worried he'd feel. It really scared him to see the usually strong violinist so vulnerable.

No other costumer was in the pharmacy at the moment, and the shop assistant walked up to them as soon as they came through the door. "Can I help you?" After asking for something against the fever, and something to ease the pain in his lungs so Kohaku could breath more easily, he also asked for a simple painkiller and hoped that the plush-animal woman wouldn't ask anything about that. Luckily, she didn't. In silence, they waited a few minutes until the shop assistant had gathered the medicines and put them in a small bag. Quickly, Lucille paid and left the shop.

"Do you need anything else, or are you ready to go back home?"

"Back home," the singer replied, groaning inwardly when he thought about how far that was. Normally, he wouldn't mind it at all to walk, as he loved forests and loved the snow. Being stressed and exhausted as he was at the moment, though, he felt like he had to walk a marathon on one leg. And despite his thick clothes, he actually started feeling a bit cold. Well, hopefully that would fade as soon as he'd get moving again.

* * *

**I'll update in week^^**


	26. Suffocating fear

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters.

Please R&R

* * *

By the time he got back to the house, Lucille felt like his arms and legs had turned into ice. And worse, he was starting to get a pretty nasty headache, reminding him of the migraine attack he had suffered a few days after he had woken up from his coma. Good thing that he still had the medication against it, but that didn't make it any less inconvenient. It was to be expected, though, after enduring so much stress and getting so exhausted. To be short; he had overexerted himself, and would almost surely pay the price for it by getting a migraine attack. Damn.

"Will you be alright from here?" the plush-animal woman asked, at the start of the small path to the front door.

"Yes." As convincing as he could manage at the moment, he smiled at her. "Thank you very much for walking along with me."

"You're welcome," she smiled back. "And I hope your friend will get better soon. Bye!"

"Bye!" he greeted back, before walking on to the door. Inside the house, he quickly closed the door behind himself and leaned against it for a moment. The warmth inside felt good against his cold body, but sadly it didn't do much good against his headache.

Letting out a deep sigh, he pushed himself away from the door and walked to the kitchen. After quickly putting the groceries where they belonged, he picked up the bag with medicines and put those in the bathroom cabinet. After about fifteen minutes, he could finally go to the bedroom with a fresh glass of water and pills against fever and pain, and one against migraine, just to be safe. As soon as he closed the door behind himself, the figure on the bed stirred and looked up at him drowsily.

"Kohaku. How are you feeling?" the blonde asked, putting down the pills onto his nightstand. "I got you some medicines."

"Do you have a headache?" the violinist asked, after a short glance at the pills. Evidently, he did feel a little bit better. "If you do, then you should go to sleep."

"I…" No, he couldn't tell his friend what happened. Not now. "Take these two, they'll cool down your fever and reduce the pain in your lungs." Giving his friends the two pills and the glass of water, he sat down onto the bed. "And yes, I do have a migraine, I think."

Quickly, Kohaku swallowed the pills. Even though he still looked pale and sick, his eyes were clear now. "What happened? You really do look bad, a beginning migraine shouldn't make you look so sick."

"N-nothing." To his own terror, he suddenly felt tears burning in his eyes. "Nothing, I'm just tired."

"Lucille…" With obvious effort, Kohaku sat up a bit more straight and placed his hand on Lucille's cheek, forcing the singer to look back at him. "Didn't we agree not to lie to each other? Please, don't put up that mask again. Whatever happened, you can tell me."

"I… I went…" Taking a shuddering breath, bowed his head to hide his face behind his hair. Probably sensing the blonde's discomfort, Kohaku allowed him to. "Near the village, I ran into one of the Queen's dogs. I had really tried to be careful but… he just was there suddenly."

"What did he say?" Kohaku asked softly, caressing the blonde's cheek. When there came no response, he asked; "What did he do?"

"R-raped me." Finally, Lucille couldn't fight back the sobs. "H-he said…that I shouldn't forget that I… I d-don't deserve happiness… And that they c-can kill it without even t-touching you or Eles." The violation itself, to his surprise, didn't hurt half as badly as what it meant in his mind. "I-I wanted you to b-be my f-first!"

"Babe…" Trembling from more than just the fever now, Kohaku pulled the frail singer into his arms and held him tightly. "I'll kill that bastard! If he ever shows his face again, I'll shoot his damned balls off!"

"That w-won't change a t-thing!" the blonde sobbed, burying his face in his friend's nightshirt.

"Lucille, I love you! He doesn't, so he only used your body. As far as I'm concerned, that doesn't count like sex! Hell, did you really think I'd love you any less because one of those fucking bastards violated you like that?" Breathing heavily, his lungs punishing him instantly for yelling, Kohaku looked at the small blonde in his arms. Unsurely, Lucille stared back, still feeling horrible. "Lucille. I love you. I'd kill for you, and I'd die for you. Whatever I can do to prove that my love you will never get any less, tell me and I'll do it. But please, don't make yourself feel so bad by doubting my love for you."

"Kohaku…" His head pounding painfully, he felt something he really didn't want to feel right now. "I feel sick…" Turning around while he said it, clumsily dropping himself off the bed to get to the nearest trashcan, he was just in time to aim into that. "S-sorry… I guess I should take that migraine pill."

"You do know you just killed my ego?" the violinist informed dryly.

"What?"

"I give half a speech about how much I love you. And in response, you throw up." Kohaku couldn't hide a grin. "Geez, you're horrible."

"Didn't do it on purpose." Carefully, Lucille stood up and walked to the bathroom to empty and clean the trashcan and his face. After going back to the bedroom and taking the medicine, he quietly got underneath the bed-sheets and cuddled against Kohaku. Though his head was still pounding painfully, at least he didn't feel so desperate and stressed out anymore.

"Babe, how are you really feeling right now?" the taller man asked softly, wrapping an arm around the thin blonde.

"Better. Not great, just… not that crappy anymore." Letting out a shaky sigh, and wiping away the last few tears, he kissed the violinist. "I love you too. And I'm so unbelievably happy that you love me. Unlike throwing up suggested."

"Good." Sighing somewhat shallowly, Kohaku relaxed against the blonde. "By the way, thanks for getting me those pills. I don't know about the fever, but the pain is already getting less. Just makes me kinda sleepy."

"Then sleep. You need it."

"You too. By the way, how did you get home without collapsing?"

"That woman from the plush-animal-stand walked along with me. She noticed me looking like a zombie at the marketplace," Lucille explained.

"Then at least you weren't alone." Another sigh, which resulted in a cough. "If you need to talk or anything, just wake me up. 'Kay?"

"Sure honey," Lucille lied, knowing he'd never even consider disturbing his friend's sleep while he was so ill. Kohaku worried about him enough, and he obviously needed to rest as much as possible. With a soft smile, he looked up at his friend's face. Kohaku's eyes were already closed, and his mouth was slightly opened. No doubt that it would only be moments until the violinist would be deep asleep.

He didn't stay awake long either, though. Only a few minutes after Kohaku had fallen asleep, Lucille slowly drifted off too.

Large halls. The castle. Cordie. Then, guignols everywhere. His parents getting killed. He practically felt Cordie's raw hate when he fled, leaving here to be queen while she didn't want to. He tried to kill here once, and failed. Then killed all his comrades to save his own miserable life. So much more hate. Everyone hated him. He deserved it. Then, suddenly, he was at that spot in the forest again. That bastard raping him. Even though Lucille knew, by this point, that he was having a nightmare, the horrible feeling of deserving all the bad that happened to him felt just as real as it had at that moment.

"Lucille?" As loud as he could, which wasn't too loud at the moment, Kohaku called the blonde's name. No response, Lucille kept crying and squirming in his arms. "Wake up…" It ended in a coughing fit, leaving him feeling both breathless and nauseous. And Lucille was still obviously trapped in whatever nightmare he was suffering. "L-Lucille… please…" Weakly, he shook at the blonde's thin shoulder, hoping that it wouldn't startle him. Immediately after Kohaku had shook him, the singer twitched and then shot up with a gasp.

Unseeing, wide blue eyes stared right through him, seeming even larger in that snowy white face. "Lucille?" Kohaku managed to whisper, making his friend finally wake up fully. Letting out a somewhat choked sob, Lucille made a dive towards him, burying himself against Kohaku's chest, and successfully knocking the last bit of air out of the violinist. "L-Luci… C-can't brea…breathe…" His lungs felt like they were burning, and he had to force himself to take a shallow breath when the singer quickly moved off his chest. To his own horror, he felt tears burning in his eyes from both pain and panic. Damn, scaring Lucille was the last thing he'd want to do now.

"Kohaku? Kohaku, breathe! K-Kohaku!" His hands shaking, Lucille caressed the violinist's hair. "Should I call a doctor?" Unable to do anything else than shake his head, Kohaku did so. If the doctor would find out how sick he was, then Eles would be forced to stay home to take care of Lucille. But due to money, that wasn't a possibility, so Lucille would probably be sent back to the hospital to revalidate. That, Kohaku couldn't do to the blonde. So he'd just have to get better without needing a doctor.

Forcing himself to take another few breaths, the pain in his lungs sending the tears dripping down his cheeks, he finally felt a bit less breathless again. Now, though, everything suddenly seemed to be getting blurry, and Lucille's voice sounded so far away. Refusing to let his eyes close, he breathed a bit more deeply, trying desperately to ignore the pain. He needed oxygen, if he'd faint now the blonde would surely panic completely. But it hurt so much… Worse, his lungs didn't even seem to get enough oxygen from the air he was trying to breathe in.

"Kohaku!" The scream startled him, and he realized with some shock that his eyes had fallen shut. Damn… since when were his eyelids this heavy? "Kohaku…" The blonde really was sobbing now, and the violinist felt tears falling onto his cheeks which he knew weren't his own. "Don't leave me! Please!" Leave him? Did he really look that awful? Choking, nearly passing out… Okay, he probably did look like crap. Damn, not much of a choice left, if he didn't want the blonde's fear to become truth.

"C-call…" He couldn't pronounce the word 'doctor', but Lucille had already understood what he was trying to say. The last thing he felt was the blonde jumping off the bed, and hearing him stumbling towards the phone. Then, his consciousness finally left him.

* * *

**Don't worry, he'll live… I feel guilty already about making him be so ill T-T'**

**I'll update again next week^^**


	27. A doctor's visit

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters.

Please R&R

* * *

So warm. Where was he? When did breathing become so much easier again? Well, not that he was complaining about that last thing. With some effort, he opened his eyes and saw that he was still sitting up in bed, but now with Lucille practically wrapped around him and the doctor watching him from the bedside. "Kohaku? How are you feeling?"

"Better," he managed to mumble, watching Lucille sit up startled. "S-sorry…" Before he even managed to finish that line, the blonde slapped him on his cheek. Rather hard, actually. "Ouch…"

"You moron! Why didn't you tell me how bad you felt in the first place? Why the Hell did you wait until you were practically unconscious already? Do you realized you could have died?"

Even with his vision still kinda blurry, Kohaku saw the tears in the frail singer's eyes, and knew he deserved to be hit. "I'm sorry, babe. I thought…" He had to pause for a moment to catch his breath. "I thought it'd get better in a few minutes. Didn't mean to scare you. Sorry."

"You idiot!" Letting out a half sob, Lucille hugged him, careful not to make his breathing more difficult. "I love you. Sorry for slapping you."

"I love you too." A shallow sigh. "Sorry for deserving to be slapped." He felt so exhausted, he'd rather just fall asleep again. Still, he couldn't yet. "So… I guess that cold really did turn into more than just a cold?"

"Nearly a pneumonia, indeed," the doctor responded to that. "I gave you some antibiotics, and some pretty heavy painkillers. That should be enough to pull you through the worst, but it might take up to two weeks before you're fully back to health again. Even so, if your friend hadn't called me, your body would almost definitely have given up on you."

The painkillers explained why breathing felt like less of a torture suddenly. They also explained why he felt like he could just fall asleep any second now.

"Why didn't you want him to call me earlier?" the doctor suddenly asked.

"I was scared… that if I couldn't take care of Lucille… you'd sent him back to the hospital," Kohaku admitted tiredly.

"He proved to be very able to take care of you, though, when he really had to. I think he'll be fine here, with you, even while you're ill."

Evidently, the doctor knew nothing about Lucille getting raped. Well, better to keep it that way. Barely able to keep his eyes open any longer, he watched Lucille talk with the doctor for a short while, too tired to understand what they were saying. It didn't manage to keep his attention, and he slowly drifted back to sleep.

Worriedly, Lucille lay next to the violinist somewhat later, his arms wrapped gently around the taller man's waist. He had gotten thinner, the past few days, the blonde noticed that by the way his arms suddenly seemed too long to encircle his friend's waist. If only he'd noticed earlier how ill his friend was, then maybe it wouldn't have come this far. Honestly, he had thought he'd die from pure fear when Kohaku had fainted. He would have, probably, if the fact hadn't been that the violinist's breathing got a bit better after he'd passed out, no longer being in pain.

"Retard," he grumbled quietly, making sure not to accidentally wake his friend. "Don't ever scare me like that again." Carefully, he gave Kohaku a kiss onto his cheek. It tasted sweaty and unnaturally hot. No wonder, considering how bad his fever was. His face was scarily pale too, making the unhealthy blush on his cheeks and the dark circled underneath his eyes even more prominent. "Damn…" Lucille hissed, wishing desperately that there was anything he could do to make Kohaku feel even remotely better.

All he could think of to do, was wetting the towel again and tenderly wiping it over Kohaku's cheeks and forehead, occasionally wiping it over the violinist's throat. No response at all, apart from a faint shiver when a cold drop of water slid down Kohaku's chest. Quickly, Lucille put the blankets around him more tightly, not wanting to make his friend feel too cold. At the same time, though, he didn't want Kohaku's already overheated body to get much warmer. Geez, there hadn't been much occasions on which he had been so unsure as he was right now. He'd never been so completely responsible for someone's life before.

Honestly, it scared him.

But he just couldn't allow himself to be scared, to lean on someone else. Mainly since that someone would have to be either Eles or Kohaku, and both already had enough to worry about without him leaning on them. Besides, he realized suddenly, this was a great opportunity to make their relationship more equal. After the events on the ship, the violinist had constantly been taking care of Lucille. Now, the blonde could return that favor by nursing Kohaku back to health.

"I should make some dinner," he mumbled to himself. "Something easy but tasty." Carefully letting go of Kohaku, he whispered to his friend; "What would you like? You don't like sweet things too much, but you do seem to like chicken. But I'm too scared of screwing up on that, and I don't want to make you even more ill. Maybe hamburgers, then." Kohaku didn't even sigh in response, which made Lucille even more concerned. Usually, the violinist would sigh or even stir a bit, whenever he was spoken to while he slept. Now, he seemed much further away.

"You're still only sleeping… right?" Lucille mumbled, purposely being louder to get some kind of reaction from his friend. "Please don't be unconscious again." Again, no reaction. "Kohaku?" Tenderly, the blonde combed his fingers through Kohaku's soft hair. Still no sound or movement. "Damn…" Desperate to get a response, Lucille pressed his lips against the violinist's, kissing him carefully. Finally, a quiet cough, followed by a faint gasp of pain. "Sorry, honey," Lucille whispered guiltily. "It just scares me when you're so quiet."

Silently, he stood up and left the room to go to the kitchen.

* * *

**Short, sorry ^^' I had a school trip all week, so I didn't have much time to write.**

**I'll update as soon as I can^^**


	28. Cuddly

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters.

Please R&R^^

* * *

As soon as Lucille had a somewhat proper dinner finished, he carried two plates back to the bedroom. It was still early, but this way he'd be done with helping Kohaku to eat, by the time that Eles would come home. The girl would feel more worried if she'd have to watch Kohaku like this, and Lucille didn't want her to have to eat alone. The violinist would have to sleep anyway, so it wouldn't be a problem if Lucille would be in the kitchen with Eles to keep here company while she ate.

"Kohaku?" he asked softly, while putting both of the plates on his nightstand. "Are you awake?" No response, as he as expected. The violinist still lay slumped against the pillows, his eyes closed and his face pale. At least his breathing sounded less labored, but that was probably only because he didn't feel the pain in his lungs while he slept so deeply. It almost made Lucille feel guilty about waking him up, but the violinist had to eat. Gently shaking at Kohaku's shoulder, he called his name again.

"Mmh? L-Lucille?" Slowly, the dark-haired man blinked a few times, before looking up to the blonde wearily. Those pale green eyes were somewhat unfocused, probably due to the high fever, but at least he seemed a bit more coherent than the last time that he had been awake. Now, he actually seemed fully awake. "Hey, how's your headache?"

"Eh?" Now that his friend mentioned it, he indeed still felt a slight headache. "It's almost gone, I guess the distraction worked."

A faint chuckle. "Well, glad to be of use."

"Next time, though, try a different method of distracting me. One that doesn't involve you passing out, and me having to call a doctor."

"Sorry, babe." He coughed softly. "Ouch."

"Do you feel good enough to eat a bit? I made dinner."

"What did you make?"

"Hamburgers, with some tomatoes."

"Nice." It didn't sound completely sincere.

"You're not hungry at all, are you?" Lucille sighed, gently starting to caress Kohaku's cheek. "Are you feeling sick or anything?"

"Not really. Just… I don't feel good over-all. And breathing really hurts, as does swallowing." Giving the singer an apologetic smile, he turned his face a bit closer against the soft touch. "At least you know that if I don't eat much, it isn't because of how you cook."

"I'd be happier if that were the reason. I'd rather prove to be a lousy cook, than to have you so ill." Keeping his hand on Kohaku's cheek, afraid that the violinist would fall back to sleep if he'd let go, he turned a bit and picked up one of the plates. "Do you need help?"

"I think I'll manage," was the response. So Lucille carefully put down the plate on Kohaku's lap, before turning again to pick up his own plate. While he slowly ate his hamburger, a bit surprised himself about how good it tasted, he watched Kohaku somewhat amusedly. The dark-haired man was currently trying to eat without dropping anything, but he trembled too badly to manage that. Still, he obviously refused to ask for help.

"Honey, I'll need to refresh the bed's sheets if you go on like that." It earned the blonde a faint glare. Okay, he probably had deserved that. "Seriously, just let me help. It'll make it easier to eat enough, right?"

For a short moment, Kohaku just stared at his plate, then he finally looked back at Lucille. "Yeah. I guess."

"Okay then." Immediately, he put down his own hamburger and started feeding Kohaku his. The violinist didn't really seem to eager to eat, but he compliantly bit a piece off the hamburger. "Don't hurry yourself, you'll only get nauseous."

"I'm not a child, babe." It came out as a chuckle. "Besides, you're in control of how quickly you feed me."

"True, my sweet vulnerable pet," Lucille grinned widely, jokingly patting Kohaku's head. In response, the violinist glared weakly at him, but couldn't hide a soft chuckle.

After half an hour, both were done eating. Silently, Lucille wrapped his arms around Kohaku's shoulders, allowing the violinist to relax against him. "If you need anything from me, just wake me." It came out as a tired mumble, and Lucille merely smiled in response. No way that he'd wake up Kohaku any sooner than tomorrow at breakfast-time. His friend probably knew that, but Lucille wouldn't say it out loud if that would cause his friend concern. Instead, he tenderly kissed Kohaku's forehead and waited patiently until the violinist had fallen asleep.

He didn't need to have much patience, as his friend drifted off to sleep within mere minutes. Carefully, he let go of him and put the blanket around him as warmly as possible. "Don't get any bad dreams, okay?" he whispered inaudibly, while quietly standing up and walking out of the room. As soon as he had reached the kitchen, he practically collapsed onto the nearest chair and sighed. "Geez…" If just one day of taking care of Kohaku would exhaust him like this, then it wouldn't be easy to keep up for days, possibly a week. Well, at least he didn't expect to encounter one of the queen's dogs every day, let alone having to suffer through what the bastard from this noon had done to him.

Hopefully, Kohaku would get well soon, at least enough to not need help with everything. Not that Lucille minded it to have to take care of his friend, especially not while he knew how his friend had taken care of him first, but there still was reality. He was still weakened, he still didn't have the energy to walk around all day. And if he'd push himself too far, he wouldn't just exhaust himself, instead he'd cause himself a migraine attack or he'd simply collapse. Damn, if he could just force his body to heal faster… Shaking his head, he sighed again. It was of no use to think that way. Fact was, his body needed time to get back to full health, and he'd make himself crazy if he'd try to quicken that process while he knew that wasn't possible.

To make it worse, his head was starting to throb again. Not as badly as it had been before he had slept, but still enough to make him uncomfortable. Maybe he'd better just go back to bed, after Eles would be done eating. Hopefully she'd lie her hamburger, even though it'd probably be a bit cooled down by now. Ah well, he knew she wouldn't mind it, seeing the circumstances. Although he wouldn't tell her that one of those bastards from the queen's army had attacked him in such a low way. She'd only get worried, which was unnecessary in his opinion. Besides that, she was still a child and didn't need to be exposed to such things.

"Hello, I'm home!" Eles voice startled him from his thoughts. Quickly, he greeted back. "How is Kohaku doing?"

"I had to call the doctor for him, since that idiot didn't want to admit how bad he felt. Anyhow, he'll be fine in a week or maybe two." Pointing at the hamburger on the table, he added; "I hope you like hamburgers. I had to feed him, so we ate already, but I can keep you company if you want to."

"Okay," she replied, sitting down next to him and starting to eat. "So, apart from Kohaku, how was your day?"

Memories of what had happened in the forest shot through him. "Well… I went to the village to buy some groceries and medications. Then, when I finally got back home, I gave Kohaku some medicine and then slept for a while. When I woke up, he was feeling worse and I had to call the doctor." Hoping not to worry her too much, he didn't go into any details. "Then I made dinner, and he managed to finish his hamburger. And then you came home."

"Sounds like you should be sleeping right now," she responded with her mouth full of hamburger.

"Probably, but I can't go a day without spending time with you," he grinned teasingly, successfully lightening the mood. "And how was your day?"

"It was fun, it was pretty busy but all costumers were nice and we sold a lot," she replied happily. "Even only for a few weeks, it's a pretty nice job. Still, it'll be great when we can go back to being an orchestra. I guess I've gotten used to traveling all the time, it's getting boring to be in one place for so long."

"In a few weeks, I'm sure we're back to our job again," Lucille replied, hoping he was right. Kohaku would've recovered in less than two weeks, no matter what. He wasn't as sure, though, about himself. Although he'd gladly go back to work right now, it was simply too dangerous to fight guignols as long as he was still weakened. Almost two months ago, he wouldn't have cared about it at all, but with how things had evolved from the moment that he and Kohaku had been sent to that ship, he didn't want to risk getting killed so easily. Sure, the danger would always be there. But fighting guignols with his body still at this point in recovering, would be close to suicide.

"Don't hurry yourself," Eles remarked, probably guessing what he was thinking right now. "It's kinda… cute, how vulnerable and cuddly you are now."

"'Cuddly'?" he repeated afoul.

"Yup, cuddly." Those large blue eyes twinkled almost childishly. "Like a cute puppet."

"You're starting to scare me," the singer grinned, watching her eat the last bit of her dinner. Then, she quickly moved towards him and wrapped her arms around him before he could even make a move. To his own surprise, he felt himself returning the embrace and practically collapsing against her. "G-geez…"

"I was right, you are cuddly," he heard Eles giggle. "Now, go to bed, I'll clean up the plates and stuff."

"You sure?" he asked, a bit reluctant to leave her to clean up after dinner alone.

"I don't mind, you know that. Kohaku's is too ill to help, and you seem exhausted. Either you go to bed by yourself, or I'll grab a frying pan and knock you out by force."

Lucille couldn't help but to laugh at that. "Geez, you really care about my health, don't you?"

"Enough to hurt you for it," she grinned, before suddenly giving him a kiss onto his cheek. "Now go to bed, then I'll check up on you and Kohaku before I go to bed too."

"Thanks." Gently, he gave her a kiss onto her forehead. "Goodnight, then."

"Goodnight."

Less than ten minutes later, he had undressed and crawled in bed next to Kohaku. The violinist hadn't woken up until now, but when he felt the touch against his skin, he slowly opened his eyes a bit. "Hey, honey. I was just planning on going to sleep," Lucille said softly, unsure whether his friend was even awake enough to understand what he was saying, or if he was still half-asleep. After staring at the blonde for a bit longer, Kohaku sighed shallowly and leaned against Lucille, not closing his eyes until the smaller man had wrapped his arms around him. 'Hm, still half asleep,' Lucille realized. "Sleep well, honey," he whispered anyway. "I love you."

"Mmh… Love you… too." It wasn't more than a sleepy whisper, but it made a happy smile appear on Lucille's face anyway.

* * *

**I'll update soon, school is just pretty busy at the moment ^^'**


	29. Uneasy nights and slow mornings

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters.

Please R&R^^

* * *

Waking up slowly, Kohaku became aware of a rather piercing pain in his lungs. "N-ngg…" Where had Lucille put those painkillers? His mind refused to become clear enough to even think about that. It did occur to him that it might help if he sat up a bit more straight, instead of being slumped against the pillows like this, but his body simply refused to show any strength. Damn. Forcing himself to breath properly, despite how much his chest was burning, he tried to see Lucille.

Vaguely, in the darkness of the night, the contours of the singer's body were visible. On closer inspection, he realized that even though the blonde seemed to have fallen away from him in his sleep, one of Lucille's hands was still holding on tightly to an edge of Kohaku's nightshirt. Cute. Still, he'd have to wake up the blonde if he wanted painkillers. And he knew that wasn't a case of 'wanting', but rather of 'needing' it. After all, he wouldn't have just woken up because of nothing, not while he felt so exhausted as he did right now.

"L-Lu… ci…" Great, he couldn't even manage more than that. Taking a shaky breath, he tried again; "Lu…cille!" At that, a faint twitch seemed to go through the singer's body. "Wake… up." He couldn't be bothered to add a 'please'.

"Mmh?" It came out as a soft moan. Then, finally, he let out a deep sigh and sat up. "Kohaku? Did you wake me?"

"H-hurts…" Realizing how alarming that sounded, he added quickly; "P-painkillers… please?"

"Eh? Oh, they're still on my nightstand. Wait…" Some sounds of movement. "I'll turn on the lights for a moment, don't let it hurt your eyes." Within a moment, the light switched on, and Kohaku couldn't help but to feel guilty when he saw Lucille leaning against the wall, eyes half closed and that beautiful face pale from exhaustion. "I'll get you some fresh water, wait for a moment." Swaying a bit, he turned around and walked out of the room. Some minutes later, he returned with a glass of water. "Can you hold it?"

His muscles currently felt like jelly. "N-no. Sorry."

Letting out another sigh, Lucille put the glass on the nightstand and then sat down before giving Kohaku a painkiller. "Put it in your mouth." When the violinist complied, Lucille carefully let him drink some water to help him swallow the pill. "Done?"

"Y-yeah." It earned him a faint smile. When Lucille came back after putting away the glass and turning off the light, Kohaku managed to mumble; "Sorry… for waking you. You look… so tired."

"Mmh." Besides that groan, no reply came. Instead, the blonde curled up against Kohaku's side, warmly underneath the blankets. Was he annoyed with the violinist or just too sleepy to respond?

Unsure about that, Kohaku couldn't help but to ask him. "Y-you angry?"

"Wha…" An arm was wrapped around the violinist's body. "No. Of course not. Sleep."

"Goodnight."

Lucille mumbled something which vaguely sounded like 'You too'. Within moments, Kohaku felt the frail body against him going limp. Smiling gratefully, he closed his eyes too and concentrated on Lucille's warmth and breathing, distracting him from the lingering pain in his lungs. It actually helped him to fall asleep, even before the medication had fully kicked in.

"Mmh…" Letting out a deep sigh, the singer opened his eyes. So bright. Was it already afternoon? Geez, he really must've been exhausted then, he realized. Slowly sitting up, he turned around to look at his friend. So cute. His mouth was slightly opened, his face unhealthily pale but relaxed. "Kohaku… Please feel better when you wake up," he begged silently, gently caressing the violinist's rather skinny cheek. Taking a deep breath, Kohaku turned his face towards the touch, and Lucille smiled. Seems like he did feel better.

"Lucille?" It wasn't more than a faint mumble, and the singer wondered whether his friend was awake or just talking in his sleep. Afraid to wake him, he kept quiet. "Hey…" Slowly, Kohaku opened his eyes a bit. "Don't ignore me… babe." That line ended in a sleepy grin, making the violinist look almost childishly cute.

"It sounded like you were just talking in your sleep."

"Mmh… Half true."

After giving the violinist a kiss onto his cheek, Lucille asked; "How are you feeling? Besides sleepy."

"Better. Breathing still doesn't feel too comfortable, but the medicine is definitely helping a lot." A shallow sigh. "It hurts a lot less. And how are you feeling?"

A soft chuckle. "Worried. But apart from that, I feel fine." With a quick movement, he turned and jumped out of bed, nearly tripping when he landed. Hearing Kohaku laughing softly at that, was the most beautiful sound he'd heard in weeks. It was almost worth the bump on his ego. "If you keep being that 'nice', then I'll go redress in the bathroom instead of here," he threatened teasingly.

"I'll be a good boy," Kohaku responded grinning. "So, what are you gonna wear?"

"There's no reason to go out today, and I don't want to go for just a walk without you." Especially not after what had happened the last time. "So I think I'll just pick something comfortable." Like that white fluffy vest on top of his suitcase, and the loose sky blue trousers lying close to it. Warm and easy. Quickly, he undressed and threw his nightwear at his friend's head. "Catch!"

"Warn before throwing!" Kohaku chuckled, weakly pushing the clothes off himself. Then, the look in his eyes turned serious as he looked at the singer's almost naked body. "Those bruises… are they from what happened in the forest?"

A bit startled by that remark, Lucille looked at his own body. Indeed, some dark blue bruises strained his hips and tights, as well as his torso. Damn, he hadn't even really paid attention to those yet. Biting his lower lip, he looked away from Kohaku. "They're just bruises, it'll be fine in a few days."

"Babe… Come here," the violinist asked softly. When Lucille kept standing still for a moment, fighting off the memory of getting violated, Kohaku added; "I just want to hold you right now, but I can't walk to you. So please come here and let me hold you." Giving him a forced smile, the singer finally stepped back to the bed and practically dropped himself in Kohaku's arms. "Ouch…"

"Sorry, honey." Feeling the violinist's arms wrapping around his body, he snuggled against his friend's chest. "I hadn't looked at those yet… Damn, I wanna kill that bastard."

"You're not the only one. Geez, where did he even get the nerve to touch you? You're already mine."

It was a pathetic attempt to cheer up the blonde, but it did work. Smiling softly, Lucille caressed his friend's cheek. "Then you do realize that I'm a non-disposable property, right? Once yours, I'm yours forever."

"I'll count that as a promise, babe." Slowly, the movement obviously being an effort to him, Kohaku started stroking the blonde's thin body. Letting out a deep sigh, Lucille allowed himself to relax completely. Probably due to the fever, Kohaku's hands were so warm and soothing that it almost lulled him back to sleep. But he knew he didn't have such luxury right now, as neither of them had eaten anything yet today, while both of them were still healing from either injury or illness. Meaning he'd have to get dressed and make breakfast, or rather lunch, soon.

Still, he couldn't help but to stay in his friend's arms for just a little while longer, listening to his heartbeat, feeling him breathing and enjoying his caresses. "Mmh…" he sighed, stretching his body a bit.

"Was that a good or a bad 'mmh'?" Kohaku asked softly.

"Good," Lucille sighed, shaking his head a bit to get his hair off his body. His friend's hand stilled for a moment, causing the blonde to look up worriedly. "Kohaku?" he then asked, seeing his friend looking back at him with a somewhat strange look in his eyes. "What?"

"It's just… It feels so good to have you in my arms like this... To have you trust me enough to let me caress you while you're lying in such a vulnerable position. And… I'd wish that I'd been there to protect you. You're way too beautiful, on both the outside and the inside, to ever be touched by someone who doesn't even care about you."

"Thank you for saying that," Lucille whispered, before giving his friend a feathery soft kiss on his throat. "I'll get dressed now, though. Even your fever isn't enough to keep me warm while only wearing boxers."

"Mmh, should I crawl outside for a while so it gets higher?"

"Don't you dare, honey." Fake glaring at his friend, the singer sat up and got his clothes. Sitting half on Kohaku's lap, he dressed himself.

"You look like your plush unicorn with that vest on," Kohaku chuckled. "It's cute."

"Well, I'll allow you to cuddle with me after breakfast," the blonde grinned in response. "Would yoghurt with some fruit be okay again?"

"Sure, babe."

* * *

**I'll try to update and move on with the plot soon ^^**


	30. Just some talking

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters.

Please R&R^^

* * *

Breakfast wasn't much of an event, as usual. Within some minutes, both had finished their bowl of yoghurt and were now chewing on some last bits of fruit. "I'll have to come up with something better tomorrow. Or at least something different," Lucille remarked, carefully placing the empty bowls on the nightstand. "Well, assuming I won't be as tired as I am right now."

"I don't think it's just the stress of getting violated, or even the lack of sleep itself. Your body just isn't ready for it yet, to have to function almost normally," Kohaku responded softly, almost apologetic. "Don't take this the wrong way, but your body still is pretty weak, compared to how you usually are." Lucille merely nodded at that, before curling up against the violinist's stomach. He'd rather not put any pressure on his friend's chest right now, not to cause his lungs any more trouble.

"If you're uncomfortable, just say so," Lucille told him, almost in a whisper.

"Well, It'd be nicer if you'd lean against my side. As closely as possible," Kohaku responded softly, not directly looking at the blonde but rather staring somewhat past him. "Eh… that is, if you were planning on staying with me for a bit longer."

"Mmh…" Letting out a deep sigh, Lucille stretched his body and wrapped his arms around Kohaku's shoulders. In response, the violinist pulled the blonde as tightly against himself as he could. "I love you."

"Eh… I love you to."

One eyebrow slightly raised, the blonde looked at him. "What's with the 'eh'?"

Kohaku couldn't help but to grin softly at that. "I really love you. I was just wondering why you suddenly said it." Tenderly, he combed his fingers through Lucille's silky hair. The movement was more of an effort to him than would be comfortable, but the way his friend turned his head towards the touch made the effort completely worth it. "Not that I don't like to hear you say it."

"I just felt like saying it." A soft chuckle. "Well, actually I felt like kissing you as long as possible, but I don't want to suffocate you."

"Besides that, as long as my pneumonia is still contagious, we should be careful with kisses."

"It's only nearly that. So…" Slowly, the blonde gave his friend a kiss onto his lips. "We only have to be 'nearly' careful."

"Babe…" Tenderly, Kohaku buried his face in Lucille's hair. "I don't want to take any risks with you. I honestly felt like I'd die, a few times. In your condition, it wouldn't keep at feeling like dying."

While already opening his mouth to argue, Lucille changed his mind when Kohaku took a somewhat shaky breath. Having his head against the violinist's body, his ear pressed against the warm skin, he could feel how strained his breathing still was. And indeed, he knew that Kohaku was stronger than him right now. "Still, I won't leave your side, no matter what."

"I know, babe." A soft cough, followed by a sharp wince when the pain evidently shot through his lungs. Carefully, Lucille caressed his friend's chest, hoping to ease the discomfort a bit. "Geez… I think the effects of the medicine is fading."

"Probably. It was in the middle of the night when I gave them to you, so it's at least five hours ago." Concerned, the blonde forced himself to lift up his head. "Do you need another dose now?"

"Nah, I'd rather wait how long I can hold out without the painkillers."

"If you do need them, tell me."

"I will," Kohaku promised. In response, Lucille smiled and let his head drop back down onto his friend's shoulder. "You're a pretty good painkiller yourself, you know."

"In that case, use me however you want," the blonde whispered, feeling his cheeks heating up when he realized what exactly he had just implied. "As for as the painkiller-thing goes."

Grinning quietly, Kohaku snuggled against the singer, before closing his eyes. "Mmh…" Silently, Lucille started caressing Kohaku's hair, watching how his friend slowly fell asleep. Although his face kept pale and sweaty, at least he seemed relaxed. Good. Smiling faintly, the blonde allowed himself to close his eyes too.

"Mmh..." Letting out a deep sigh, Lucille woke up. What time was it? His stomach was grumbling quietly, so probably somewhere around lunchtime. Letting out another sigh, he forced himself to open his eyes and look around for a moment, before sitting up. "Honey, you look like crap," he whispered worriedly, watching Kohaku sleep. The violinist's face was less sweaty than it had been earlier today, but still too pale. Besides that, his breathing kept sounding strained and slightly shallow.

Knowing he should go make some sandwiches for lunch, since Kohaku obviously was in no condition to do so, Lucille leaned over and gave his friend a kiss onto his forehead. "I'll be back within a few moments. Just keep sleeping for the moment."

Walking to the kitchen still felt like a task, instead of an act that needed no attention, but he managed not to collapse onto a chair as soon as he got there. Instead, he forced himself to walk directly to the cabinets and gather bread and cheese. When he did sit down to make sandwiches, though, his legs nearly gave way. Landing on a kitchen-chair quite hard, he let out a groan. "Geez…" Well, he should feel glad that the chair's legs hadn't given way in response to his. At that mental vision, he couldn't help but to chuckle. Now that would've been embarrassing.

Honestly, if he would've fallen along with a broken chair, he'd probably would have just curled up on the floor and went to sleep. No doubt about that. He almost regretted the moment that the sandwiches were made, and he had to get up and bring them back to the bedroom. Slowly, he made his way out of the kitchen and through the hallway. When he reached the bedroom, and after carefully putting down the plates on the nightstand, he couldn't suppress the urge to just let himself drop down onto the bed and lay there for a moment. Geez, how long would it take for his body to get back to full strength? This probably wasn't doing it any good, he knew that.

Forcing himself to properly work in the household, even taking a rather disastrous walk to the marketplace, probably wasn't exactly what the doctor had meant by 'practicing to walk small bits'. It definitely didn't follow the advice of 'only when you feel up to it'. Come to think of it, he should probably call the doctor soon for another check-up. Considering his sore body, exhaustion and the early signs of yet another migraine, the doctor wouldn't be too pleased. But he couldn't expect Kohaku to take care of him, now could he? Not while the violinist was still bed-ridden by a nearly-pneumonia.

His head throbbing slightly, he pushed himself off the mattress and sat. "Kohaku? You'll have to wake up for a few minutes." No response. "Kohaku!"

"What?" the violinist mumbled, before blinking a few times. "Ouch…" His face tensed from pain, and Lucille leaned over him worriedly. From up close, he could feel the warmth coming from his friend, but knew it wasn't the fever which caused Kohaku this pain. Gently, he helped the dark-haired man to sit up a bit straighter. "T-thanks."

"I made sandwiches, you should eat at least a bit before taking any painkillers." Passing him one of the plates, he added; "They might make you feel worse if you take them on an empty stomach."

"Not empty. We had breakfast, remember?" Kohaku argued, smiling faintly.

"You can't really count yoghurt with fruit as a full meal, honey," Lucille responded softly. Too late, he heard the tone in his own voice and saw the look in his friend's eyes changing.

"Babe, you're doing all you can… No, you're doing more than you physically can right now. Don't pull yourself down like that." At those words, Kohaku tenderly caressing his cheek, Lucille almost felt his throat tightening a bit. "Don't look like that. Seriously, you're pushing yourself way too hard. No one expects you to even be up and moving so much already. You managed to make these sandwiches, while you're not even supposed to do any tasks yet." A slightly airless cough. "Geez, don't you realize how important you are?"

"Kohaku…" Honestly, it was a relieve to hear his friend say all that. Suddenly feeling a bit lightheaded, some of the constant stress finally leaving him, he let himself slump against the taller man. "I know I'm pushing myself beyond my limits. But it's either that, or making them sent you to a hospital. And I don't want to be somewhere with a lot of people, I just want to be with people I trust. Most importantly; with you."

"Still, we won't get anywhere if you get ill or injured because of all this." For a moment, Kohaku just looked at him. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine."

"Don't lie to me, moron." Gently, Kohaku wrapped an arm around the blonde's thin shoulders. "How are you feeling?"

Closing his eyes for a moment, Lucille sighed. "My whole body feels drained and my head hurts. And it makes me feel pathetic and embarrassed, because I'm not used to being weak at all." He couldn't suppress a faint tremble in his voice, when he got to the end of those words.

"Lucille, you're not weak. You're never weak, but no one can ever be invincible. You got shot. You were badly injured. Hell, you even stopped breathing… And now you dare to feel bad about yourself because you can't do all house-chores all by yourself, barely a month after you woke up from a coma? Seriously?"

If you'd put it like that, it did sound a bit… unreasonable indeed. "I guess… I shouldn't expect too much of myself."

"You're comparable to a dead bird being angry at itself because it can't fly properly anymore. With the one difference that you will heal, and you'll be strong again. Just not as soon as you'd like."

"Mmh." Letting out another sigh, the blonde let his eyes drop shut. "You should eat."

"So should you."

Without too much enthusiasm, Lucille reopened his eyes and picked up his sandwich. After a slow lunch, he tried to get up to go clean the plates, but Kohaku weakly pulled him back down. "Get some rest, those plates can wait for a few hours."

"But…" Feeling his own body going limp involuntarily, warm and comfortable against the taller man, Lucille sighed. "I guess you're right. But I'm worried that I won't wake up in time for dinner. It wouldn't be fair to make Eles cook."

"She wouldn't mind doing it, you know that." A short silence. "Actually, you having to take care of both yourself and me, in your condition, is unfair," he then added, guilt showing in his eyes.

"I don't mind it anymore than Eles would," the singer replied, immediately understanding that he had practically admitted that he shouldn't feel guilty about possibly leaving it to the girl to make dinner. Besides that, he wasn't too sure if his legs would even hold him if he'd go to clean those plates without taking a nap first. Looking at the nightstand, he did suddenly remember something else. "You still have to take those painkillers, honey."

"Yeah, that's not really easy to forget," Kohaku responded with a faint chuckle. "But I couldn't let you go to the kitchen first. Wouldn't be a good thing if you'd collapse in there, since I wouldn't be able to carry you back to bed right now." After giving the blonde a tender kiss onto his head, he added; "You do look cute, though. Like a tired kitten."

"Meow," Lucille imitated, fake-scratching the violinist's face. In response, Kohaku grabbed him by his wrist and called him a bad kitty. "I'll show you how 'bad' I can be… Meow!" Before his friend could even figure out what he was planning, Lucille started licking his cheek and throat, occasionally meowing or purring. "Meow… You're a tasty owner."

"Geez… Retarded freak!" Despite that, he couldn't help but to cuddle the blonde until Lucille finally gave up and let himself drop against his friend. Coughing painfully for a moment, due to the impact of Lucille's body landing against his, Kohaku stopped moving too. "Ouch… C-could you give me those painkillers now? Or do you have to go mice-hunting first."

"Meow… eh, no. Sorry, here they are." Quickly, Lucille fed Kohaku the two small pills and made him drink some water. "Did you swallow them?"

"Yeah," the violinist nodded, and Lucille put the glass of water back onto the nightstand. "Thanks." Noticing those big blue eyes still being fixated on him, he asked; "What?"

"Did you mind me joking around? I mean, I know you feel ill and that your lungs hurt, but… I felt like joking around a bit with you."

Unable to hide a grin, Kohaku snuggled against the blonde. "You serious? I would have let you know if the pain would've been bad enough to make you joking around an unpleasant experience. Mmh…" With his head pillowed against the smaller man's cheek, he relaxed. "Just please don't drop down against me, next time. It still rather hurts to have the air knocked out of me."

"Sorry, I kinda forgot." Letting out a deep sigh, Lucille embraced his friend and then closed his eyes. "Does it hurt a lot?" Some guilt was audible in his voice, as he asked that question.

"No, it's more of a constant feeling of soreness. It just… flames up when… provoked." Opening his eyes for a moment, Lucille saw Kohaku's eyes falling shut. "Don't you dare… to get up and clean those plates… while I'm asleep."

"Don't worry, I'll try to get some sleep too."

* * *

**Finally another update… sorry it took so long, it's been busy at the petting zoo where I volunteer ^^'**


	31. Sing on

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters.

Please R&R^^

* * *

Even though he knew he should still be sleeping, when Kohaku awoke after a few hours he just couldn't force himself to close his eyes again. Not when he knew how incredibly beautiful Lucille looked right now, his body curled up loosely in sleep, his arms wrapped around the violinist's waist. This surely wouldn't be his last chance to see the singer like this, but it would feel like a waste to miss as much as a moment of this.

Besides all that, he felt a lot better. Which made him feel reluctant to go back to sleep, since he had the feeling he'd feel worse if he'd have to wake up just before dinner. Not that he even felt like eating, he didn't feel that good yet. He did have to go to the toilet, though. But if he'd wake up Lucille, the singer would probably still have a headache. Better to just let him sleep until his body decided that it had gotten enough rest.

Carefully, Kohaku started trying to get out of Lucille's embrace. For a moment, the singer unconsciously tightened his grip, but when Kohaku whispered some pointless reassurances he relaxed again. After taking a moment to catch his breath, the violinist slowly stood up. Immediately, his lungs punished him with a sharp pain, which luckily passed quickly. Forcing himself not to cough, for it would wake up the blonde, he walked to the toilet. Honestly, it never before had been such a relieve to reach the toilet seat.

For some reason, the way back to the room was more difficult, the trembling of his body almost causing him to fall, and it was an effort to get back into bed slowly. He'd rather just have dropped down onto it, but that would have sent him into a coughing fit which would wake Lucille. That is, if the singer wouldn't already be woken by the movement of the mattress. This way, the blonde kept sleeping peacefully. To his own surprise, and relieve, Kohaku found out that he was able to lay on his side again, without almost choking. Flat on his back, he'd probably regret. Which didn't really matter, because his goal was to wrap the singer in his arms.

At the violinist's gentle touch, Lucille sighed faintly and stretched his body a bit. Almost like he was letting his guard down. Or maybe it was just to be closer to the source of heat, namely Kohaku. Either way, the violinist felt happy about it. Letting out a sigh, he snuggled against the blonde before allowing his eyes to drop shut. Might be more difficult than he had expected, not to fall asleep again. Especially with Lucille so warm and safely in his arms. Still, he didn't want to make it more difficult to eat properly during dinnertime.

Reopening his eyes, he looked at Lucille. Would the blonde wake up if he'd get his violin and play on it for a bit? His music wasn't exactly known to be soothing, but he could try to make it sound peaceful. Besides, it was the only thing he could think of to do, in this situation. His mind still felt too fuzzy from the fever to try and read a book, and they didn't have any easy books here anyway. Practicing with his shooting would require him to go outside, which would be suicide while it was still freezing. Besides that, he could barely walk, let alone being on his feet for at least half an hour. Music was the only option, if he didn't want to fall asleep. Then again, he didn't really look forward to getting up to get his violin.

Where was it anyway? Probably somewhere in the living room. On the table. How many steps would that be from here? A lot, probably. Taking a somewhat shaky breath, he managed to sit up again. This time, the blonde mumbled something unintelligible and turned onto his back. "I'll be right back, don't worry." At that, Lucille sighed faintly and seemed to relax again. As silently as he could manage, he stood up and stumbled to the door. Damn, his body really didn't feel like cooperating, did it? Well, it'd just have to for now.

Luckily, his violin indeed was on the small table in the living-room, and he sat on the couch for a moment to catch his breath. Geez, hopefully the shortness of breath would fade soon, otherwise it would get very annoying. At least the pain was gradually lessening, though it would probably still be lingering around at night especially. After a minute, he felt well enough to go back to the bedroom. Lucille still appeared to be asleep, so Kohaku silently got back in bed and just sat there for a while, waiting for his body to stop shivering. When at least his hands had stopped trembling, he finally could start playing his violin.

The sound was somewhat unsure at first, as he didn't usually improvise like this, but it got better once he started playing songs he knew. Not the ones they used against guignols, of course, but just some popular love-songs. Not what he usually liked, but they fitted his feelings when looking at Lucille sleeping so peacefully by his side. Suddenly, the blonde let out a deep sigh and smiled. Not knowing for sure if the singer was fully awake or not, Kohaku decided to just keep playing and wait and see if Lucille would open his eyes or speak.

For some minutes, the music went on uninterrupted, until the song ended. Quickly thinking of another one, Kohaku barely paused between the songs. Suddenly, though, Lucille started singing along softly, his beautiful voice making the violin sound like just a background tune. Resisting the urge to look down, wanting to see Lucille while he sang, Kohaku tried to memorize the whole song as good as possible. To Lucille, it didn't even seem to matter that the violinist stuttered a few times, not remembering exactly how the original tune went, and the unwavering sound of his voice almost made it appear like it was supposed to be this way. In the end, Kohaku honestly regretted it when the song was over.

"That… was awesome," he sighed, finally able now to look down at Lucille. The blonde smiled up at him happily, his eyes sparkling in the sunlight that came through the window. "How's your headache?"

"It didn't fully turn into a migraine, it's as good as gone now," Lucille replied, still smiling. "And I don't feel that tired anymore either. And how are you feeling?"

"Great, considering I didn't collapse while getting my violin to here."

"Good." That smile still hadn't left his face. "It's nice to make music together again." Sighing, he moved a bit until his head was pillowed on Kohaku's lap. "It's really nice."

"It's even better to see you smiling." That remark earned him one of those rare laughs from Lucille. "Mmh, that sounds almost as nice as your singing."

"Kohaku… Geez, what are you trying to do?" the blonde asked, tenderly wrapping his arms around the violinist's waist. "I'm already in love with you, no need to flirt."

"Just trying to keep that smile on your face. To keep it real." Okay, this was going to sound very corny. "Can you sit up for a moment?"

"Hm? Why?" Lucille asked, already doing as he was told. Before he even fully completed that move, Kohaku already pulled him close and kissed him deeply. The blonde practically crawled up against him, letting out a faint moan. Far too soon, Kohaku had to end the kiss so he wouldn't suffocate himself, but the blonde kept unmoving for a bit longer. "S-so… You don't think you're contagious anymore?"

"The pain is fading, so probably not." Actually, he did feel a faint regret now that the kiss was done. Hopefully he really wasn't contagious anymore, otherwise he'd never be able to live with himself. But to see the singer look like that, so happy and beautiful and… just so much like he loved to see Lucille… He just hadn't been able to stop himself. "I love you."

"I love you too." Giving his friend a hug, he added; "And I'm so glad you're getting better."

A short silence. "Yeah." Honestly, he'd just wish that Lucille would be fully back to health just as soon. It was a fact, though, that Kohaku getting ill had slowed Lucille's recovery. For starters, Lucille hadn't taken a walk since that last trip to the marketplace. Well, it might be for the best that he hadn't gone outside alone again. Still, if they just could've gone on walking whenever the blonde felt up to it, he might have been much stronger already. And, ironically, much less exhausted. The fact that he had a headache this often said enough, both his mind and body hadn't been ready to handle having to take care of himself, let alone taking care of anyone else.

"Kohaku?" Gently, Lucille caressed the taller man's pale cheek. "You don't have to look so guilty about it. I know I'm still not anywhere near recovered, I know we'll have to pick up where we left it with the walks. And I know you'll have to force me to rest enough."

"Still, I can't just stop knowing that if I hadn't gotten ill, you would've been doing a lot better already."

"When I just woke up, I couldn't even lift up my arms properly. You told me yourself to be realistic." That blue-eyed stare was hard to argue with, and Lucille knew how to use it. "I can walk now, even if it's a task. I can actually do something without being knocked down by a migraine, even if it's not much. And it has only been a few weeks."

"I guess you're right," Kohaku sighed. "You're definitely right about me going to force you to take enough rest, as soon as I'm recovered."

A soft grin. "Though so." Turning himself around, he sat next to his friend. "Wanna play another song?"

"Sure. What would you like to sing?"

"Anything fun. Whatever you know how to play," Lucille replied, leaning his head against Kohaku's shoulder. "Can I sit like this, or am I in your way?"

"Nah, I'll manage. We don't have to sound perfect now." Trying not to move his shoulder too much, Kohaku started playing another song. A pretty well-known one, even though it was rather old, and Lucille started singing along almost instantly. Even though the blonde's voice was too high and pure to sound anything close to manly, and this song was originally sung by a guy, it was beautiful. The violinist actually had to remind himself to keep playing, way too preoccupied by listening to Lucille singing.

"… _can't fight this feeling anymore_," Lucille sang the end of the song, and then took a deep breath. "You wouldn't believe how much I missed this."

"Well, I'll never love playing the violin like you love singing. But I truly did miss to hear you singing." Remembering briefly all the things that had went through his head when Lucille had been in a coma, he looked away. "Please don't ever lose that power."

"I didn't plan on getting shot again, if that's what you mean," Lucille responded dryly, a soft smile on his face. "Being a sleeping beauty only is fun when my prince is actually able to kiss me awake."

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**The lyrics Lucille sings from the last song, are by REO speedwagon, I thought it fit them ^-^**

**I'll update in a week (this time I WILL update in time XD )**


	32. Spending time together

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters.

Please R&R^^

* * *

For almost an hour, Kohaku kept playing the violin while Lucille sang along. Eventually, though, they ran out of ideas and started to just chat a bit. "Aren't your arms sore from playing that long?" Lucille suddenly asked, those large blue eyes looking up at the other man.

"Not really. Why do you ask?" Kohaku responded, knowing the look in those beautiful eyes.

"Can you braid my hair again? It's getting a bit tangled." Almost guiltily, Lucille looked away. "I still can't manage to comb it myself, my arms just don't have the strength yet."

Smiling softly, Kohaku caressed the singer's silky hair. "No need to worry about that, I don't mind having to work with your hair. You might want to wash it sometime, though."

"Yeah, I was planning on waiting until you're better. My hair tends to get pretty heavy when it's wet, so it'll probably drag me to the floor." He grinned quietly. "Which would be kind of funny, but it'd defeat the purpose of washing it. Anyhow, I'll get my comb." With that, he slowly got out of bed and walked to his suitcase. "Catch!"

Before he even saw it coming, the comb flew towards Kohaku. Barely able to grab it out of the air before it would hit his face, he heard Lucille laughing softly. Geez, he'd never get bored with that sound. "You don't like me, do you?" he chuckled.

Lucille only grinned back, before walking back to his side of the bed and sitting down with his back towards Kohaku. "Be careful, okay?"

"You know I'll be careful," the violinist responded, moving a bit until he sat almost directly behind the blonde, only leaning a little bit against the wall. "I won't accidentally pull out your brain, don't worry." This time, Lucille laughed soundlessly, and sighed. Carefully, Kohaku started combing, feeling how the blonde relaxed. After a while, when the worst tangles were gone, he gently put a hand on Lucille's shoulder to support him. "You still awake?"

"Yeah." Another sigh. "I guess I really did push myself a bit too hard." When Kohaku stopped combing, immediately concerned if Lucille was having another migraine, the blonde quickly added; "I don't have a headache or anything, I'm just kinda sleepy. Which I usually am not, after having slept for hours. No reason to stop combing my hair." Relieved, Kohaku resumed combing, working out the last few tangles. Then, he slowly started making a French braid, letting only the shortest parts of Lucille's bangs hang loose. "I don't know how many nights this'll last, but I can always re-braid it if it gets too loose."

"Okay. It feels comfortable, though."

"That's good, then." Finishing the last part of the braid, he tied it off with an elastic. "Done."

"Thanks." Pulling his legs onto the bed, Lucille turned around to face the taller man. "Too bad that your hair is too short to do anything with."

"Well, sorry, but I intend to keep it that way," Kohaku responded dryly. Lucille smiled softly and combed his fingers through the short, dark strands of hair. "And I know I should wash it too."

"Indeed." Suddenly the blonde sat up straight. "I can do that! I can wash your hair, if you don't mind it."

A bit surprised by Lucille's enthusiasm, Kohaku just stared at him for a moment. "Eh, sure. Whatever you want."

"You have to want it." Almost unsurely, Lucille looked at him. "Don't allow it just because I want you to."

"Babe, I'd never dislike spending time with you."

Lucille's cheeks actually colored a bit at that. "Yeah. But you aren't exactly the type you'd expect to like this sort of thing. To fumble with hairdos and such."

"I don't like it. I just like to fumble with you." Tenderly, Kohaku caressed the blonde's cheek. "You know, I sometimes really wonder if this is even possible. That we're together as lovers, instead of just unfriendly colleagues. When I touch you, though, it's like prove that this isn't just a weird dream." A soft smile. "Besides, considering how we started, it still feels so special to be allowed to be this close to you. And that I'm able to allow you so close to me."

"Well, since we love each other, it should always be special. Right?" Almost unsurely, Lucille looked up at the violinist, placing his own hand over his friend's. "Isn't that how it's supposed to be?"

"I don't know, babe. I never loved anyone before. Especially not like I love you." Those large blue eyes reflected some disappointment at that response. "Considering what we face while on the job, though, and the fact that we'll always put ourselves in danger, I don't think I'll ever take this for granted."

The smile returned to Lucille's face. "Me neither."

Some hours later, Lucille had cooked another simple dinner and brought it to the bedroom. This time, he had waited for Eles. He didn't have to feed Kohaku anymore, so there was no reason not to dine together. And Eles seemed completely happy, sitting practically on Lucille's lap while the singer sat side to side with Kohaku. "So… what is this supposed to be?" Kohaku asked carefully.

"A wrap with minced meat and vegetables." Almost challenging, Lucille looked at him. "It's the only fancy thing I know how to make."

Slowly, Kohaku took a bit. "It actually tastes good," he then remarked, earning something between a glare and a smile from Lucille. "Seriously!"

"Thanks. But you don't have to sound so surprised about it." The blonde did seem pleased anyway, while Eles couldn't suppress a giggle. It was always fun to see those two interacting, but especially after the past few days it was good to see Kohaku so energetic and Lucille so carefree.

After dinner, Lucille got the idea to play a game and they ended up picking a simple card-game. After some hours, that ended in Eles being asleep on Lucille's lap, while the singer just leaned against Kohaku while fighting off the urge to fall asleep too. "Should I try to carry her to bed, or do you think you can do that?" the violinist asked quietly.

"You should stay in bed," Lucille mumbled sleepily, before letting out a sigh. "And I'm pretty sure my legs won't hold me if I try to make them carry more weight than just my own."

"So what do you suggest? It seems kinda cruel to wake her up."

"If we cuddle up on one side of the bed, she can sleep on the other side. That wouldn't really matter."

"Nah, especially not with you in the middle," Kohaku couldn't help but to chuckle. It only earned him a slightly annoyed look. "Sorry, just kidding."

"I think your sense of humor can use some sleep." Still, the blonde leaned up a bit to kiss his friend. Then, he carefully pulled away the blanket and lay down Eles. "I'll go switch off the lights." Which required climbing over the violinist, stumbling around the bed and almost tripping over that same bed on the way back. After some struggling with the blanket and each other, unable to see anything in the darkness of their room, Lucille ended up between his friends, with Kohaku's arms wrapped around him gently.

"Is that braid still not bothering you?"

"I'm laying on my side, honey. As long as Eles doesn't accidentally lay on it, it won't be a bother," the blonde whispered.

"Okay then. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Concentrating on the sound of his friends' breathing, Lucille quickly drifted off to sleep.

Early the next morning, Eles woke up from the sound of her alarm-clock. After wondering for a moment why it sounded so far away, she suddenly remembered last evening, and quickly got out of bed and ran to her room. After silencing her alarm-clock, she redressed into clean clothes and walked back to the other bedroom. Lucille and Kohaku still appeared deep asleep Usually, the alarm-clock was switched off within a few seconds, but apparently it hadn't been loud or long enough to wake them even this morning.

Well, that was a good thing. Especially because they looked really cute right now. Kohaku was laying on his side, his arms wrapped around Lucille's waist and his face buried in the singer's hair. His breathing was still slightly audible, but at least it sounded easy now, not too labored or scratchy. Lucille, meanwhile, laid on his back, one arm down and the other resting on his chest. The long braid in his hair was trapped underneath his body, but it evidently didn't bother him.

Carefully, she leaned over them and gave them both a soft kiss onto their cheek. Then, she quickly ate some bread for breakfast, and then left for work.

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**I'll update soon^-^**


	33. A bloody reminder

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters.

Please R&R^^

* * *

"Mmh?" Irritated, Lucille tried to hit away the thing that was currently shaking at his shoulder. He didn't actually hit anything, but the sound of Kohaku laughing softly caused him to wake up completely. Slowly blinking a few times, he saw the violinist leaning over him. "Good morning, honey," the blonde mumbled, while yawning. It came out almost unintelligible, and the violinist gently kissed him in response. "How are you feeling?" he asked, as soon as his lips were released.

"Pretty good, actually," Kohaku replied, while starting to caress Lucille's cheek with one finger. "And how about you? You kept asleep for a pretty long time, it's already past ten o'clock."

"Well, then that's probably the reason why I'm not tired at all anymore," the blonde answered with a smile, leaning into the soft touch. "How long have you been awake?"

"Only about half an hour. Time flies when I can look at you." The taller man's cheeks went a bit red at that. "I can't believe I just said that."

Grinning, Lucille sat up and hugged him. "Don't worry, I'll just take it as a compliment." Resting his head against his friend's chest for a moment, he both heard and felt Kohaku's breathing. It wasn't completely effortless and smooth yet, but in comparison to the past few days it was a great improvement. "You really do sound a lot better. I'm so glad you're recovering so quickly."

"Same here. The sooner I'm able to walk around again, the sooner we both can take a bath." A sheepish smile. "I smell like crap, don't I?"

"Nah, just a bit sweaty. Besides, I don't smell like roses either." Taking a deep breath, he decided that the subject wasn't worth worrying about. "We can always bath tomorrow, or whenever you feel up to it." A faint smile. "Though you'll have to be ready to help me too. If I wait until I'm up to bathing alone, without drowning, you'll have to buy a gas mask to come near me."

"You'll never smell too gross to approach."

"Wanna bet?"

A slightly raspy laugh. "Moron."

Tenderly, Lucille kissed him again, before finally moving out of the embrace and getting out of bed. "I'll go make some breakfast. Sandwiches or yoghurt with fruits?"

"Yoghurt sounds fine."

Relieved, Lucille nodded. "Okay then, I'll be back within a few minutes." Carefully, he made his way to the kitchen. While cutting up some bananas, he thoughtlessly glanced out of the window for a moment and froze. "Wha…" Red spots. Large red spots. Against all common sense, he walked towards the window to look outside. The snow had some red spots too, leading into the forest. Tracing them with his eyes, he looked up and strained his eyes to see what that dark shadow between the trees was.

That scream was enough to make Kohaku practically stumble to the kitchen, not even realizing it himself until he dropped onto his knees there. "Lucille? What the Hell was that?" The blonde stood unmoving in front of the window, his back towards the violinist. "Babe?" Worriedly, Kohaku forced himself to stand back up. "What's wrong?"

Wordlessly, Lucille pointed at something outside the window, his entire body starting to tremble. "What…" Automatically, the violinist looked up and saw it hanging there. "God… no." That certainly wasn't a fresh corpse, but it had obviously been placed there specifically for Lucille to find. Carved into the tree it hung from, was the word 'remember'. That messenger, Pierre. Evidently, the Queen had ordered to have him killed, just to scare Lucille. Damn, and it had worked, obviously.

"Lucille… stop looking at it… him," he said softly, placing his hand on the blonde's thin shoulder. As soon as he touched him, though, the singer's knees just gave way. "Crap…" Knowing he wouldn't be able to keep standing, Kohaku caught him anyway. At least this way, the blonde landed on his lap instead of on the hard floor. "Lucille?" The blonde didn't respond, only curled up on the taller man's lap and buried his face against Kohaku's chest. Tenderly, Kohaku wrapped his arms around Lucille's slender frame, feeling how the blonde gasped for air between dry sobs.

Suddenly, he remembered what had happened on the ship, after they'd had to watch that stupid movie. "Hey, calm down a bit. You're safe." No response. "Lucille, please… breath properly, I've seen you hyperventilating once and I don't feel like seeing it again."

"N…ngg." Obviously trying to force himself to calm down, Lucille opened his eyes and looked up at Kohaku. Those bright blue orbs were dulled by fear and something else. Guilt? No, there was no reason for the blonde to feel guilty. Tenderly, Kohaku started caressing the blonde's hair, breathing softly against Lucille's head. To his relieve, he felt the blonde's breathing calm down slowly. Finally, after some long minutes, he mumbled; "What should we do now?"

"We can't inform the police, the queen won't allow us to get away with that. But we can't leave it… him hanging there either." A short silence. "All we can do is to get him down from there, and bury him. We can't do anything else. And we should make sure that it's done before the end of the afternoon, or Eles will see him. I really don't want her to have to see such a thing."

"Okay." A shaky sigh. "I'll do it."

"But…"

"You are not setting one foot outside until you're all better," Lucille interrupted him, finally lifting his head to look up at his friend. Though his face was pale, those bright blue eyes showed fragile determination. "I'll do it. Just… keep an eye on me. But don't go outside in the cold."

The whole thing went past him as if he was in some kind of trance, his body working while his mind practically shut down. Which was probably for the best, otherwise he had most certainly broken down again when he had to touch the corpse. Another positive thing about it, was that he barely felt how much of a toll the digging and carrying took on his body. It wasn't until he stepped back into the house, after nearly an hour, that his mind finally cleared and he just couldn't manage any longer to keep on his feet.

"K-Kohaku…" At the moment he felt his friend's strong arms around him, and the warmth of his body, Lucille could only slump against him. He heard his own muffled sobs before he even knew he was crying. Kohaku didn't say a word, it wouldn't have made him feel better anyway, instead he quietly held the blonde in is arms. Curled up on the violinist's lap, Lucille simply cried for a while. Finally, after nearly half an hour, the blonde quieted.

"Babe?" Deliberately using the name only he could call the blonde, Kohaku looked down at him. No response. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah." It came out sounding hoarse and unsteady, but at least it was a response.

"Eh… Can you walk a bit? The floor is kind of cold, but I can't carry you to the couch." It felt almost mean to ask him something so normal, but he knew that if he'd stay here any longer he would be shivering badly enough for Lucille to notice.

The frail singer slowly tried to get up, his hands on Kohaku's shoulders to support himself. At the first try, he fell back onto the ground, but when he tried again he managed to keep standing. Carefully, Kohaku got up too and wrapped an arm around Lucille. Without any talking, they walked to the couch and sat down next to each other. "I… I don't really feel like making breakfast anymore," Lucille mumbled.

"Eh?" He hadn't even thought about that anymore. Looking at the clock on the wall, Kohaku decided it wouldn't be worth the effort anymore, anyway. The singer had seemed in such a state of shock, while burying the unlucky messenger, he probably had no idea how much time had passed. But it was close to lunch-time already, and Kohaku wouldn't allow Lucille to do anything else than to sit down and rest for the remainder of the day. "I'll go and make lunch in a few minutes, okay?"

At that, the blonde took a confused glance at the clock. "Oh… I hadn't noticed."

"You looked like you weren't even thinking, out there," Kohaku remarked carefully, not wanting to upset the blonde but wanting to know how he felt.

"It… kinda felt like..." A short silence, while Lucille seemed to search for the right words. "It felt like walking around in a nightmare, sort of. Too vague to remember in detail. But…" His face tensed and Kohaku felt the blonde's breathing hitch.

"I understand, try not to think about it anymore. At least not for some time." Tenderly, Kohaku hugged him. "You're strong, she won't be able to break you." Was he trying to reassure Lucille or himself? In complete honesty, he knew he was just trying to reassure himself. If Lucille didn't believe she couldn't break him, nothing Kohaku could say would force him to change his mind. But the violinist had to believe Lucille was strong enough to get through any kind of pain or fear the Queen would cause him.

"How the Hell are we supposed not to let Eles know something happened?" Lucille said softly, burying his face against Kohaku's chest. "I don't think I can just act like nothing's wrong."

"We have to tell her that the Queen sent another threat. But we don't have to tell her about the corpse. We can just keep it at telling her there was blood, and the carving it the tree."

Lucille only nodded at that, before letting out a sigh. "She'll be scared, even we don't tell the full truth."

"She'll be worried and hurt if we try to pretend nothing happened."

"I know." Another sigh, a shaky one this time. "Why can't anything ever keep peaceful around us?"

Deciding it was better not to reply with possible answers, Kohaku just kissed the blonde tenderly. "Just remember, no one can ruin your life unless you let them."

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**I'll update soon^^**


	34. Calming down

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters.

Please R&R^^

**I'm sorry for the lack of updates… I really want to write more, I just don't have the time. I'll try my best to update at least once per month, though!**

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For long minutes, Lucille just sat on the couch, slumped against Kohaku. Unsurely, the violinist looked down at him, after a while. Should he go and make lunch already, or did the blonde really need him at his side right now? Honestly though, he was starting to get hungry. And Lucille had to eat too, whether he felt hungry or not. Carefully, he blew some strands of hair away from Lucille's beautiful face, to get his attention. "Shall I go make some sandwiches?" he asked, as soon as those large blue orbs were directed at him.

"Okay. Can we eat on the couch?" the singer responded softly, but to Kohaku's relieve, without any traces of shock or even a lot of stress. "It's a bit more comfortable than those chairs."

"Sure, babe. I'll be right back." Gently, he moved Lucille a bit, so that the blonde was now leaning against the back of the couch, instead of against the violinist's side. "Will you be okay?"

A faint, somewhat dry smile. "It won't kill me to sit on the couch alone, honey. You're practically on the other side of the room, when you're in the kitchen. Not the other side of the world."

"True. But I still don't really like… to not be able to hold you after this morning." Almost feeling embarrassed for admitting that, Kohaku averted his gaze towards the floor. "I mean, I know you're strong, and you don't need to be treated like a doll… but…" A bit awkwardly, he kept staring at the floor, trying to figure out a good way to end that line.

"But you've seen me nearly dying, and I know I won't be fully recovered for at least another few weeks," Lucille continued for him. "And I would be more concerned if you didn't worry about me, after what happened this morning. To be honest, you have good reason to be concerned. I won't let her break me, but I can't stop every crack." Another faint smile, but this time it was a warm one. "And… I would never think of it as a negative thing, if you want to hold me."

"Good," Kohaku replied with a soft smile. "Then I hope you know that after lunch, I won't let you get away from me."

"Then hurry up a bit," the blonde laughed quietly. Kohaku nodded and went to the kitchen, finally feeling a bit less worried after seeing Lucille smile in honesty. Indeed, he couldn't stop every crack. But Kohaku was incredibly thankful for how fast the blonde could heal most of them.

After a quiet lunch, the both of them just sat there for a while. Suddenly, Lucille pushed himself off the couch a bit and dropped himself against Kohaku, causing the violinist to fall onto his side with the blonde on top of him. "You're tired, aren't you?" Lucille asked softly, looking down on him with those bright blue eyes.

For a moment, Kohaku wanted to tell him that he felt fine, but decided against it. If he really would be feeling fine, he wouldn't have been pushed over so easily. And he knew the blonde knew that too. "Yeah. You should get some rest too."

Lucille only nodded, cuddling against the violinist until they were both comfortable. "Kohaku… Don't stop holding me." He mumbled after a while, his voice somewhat muffled.

"Are you scared or something?" the violinist responded. Even though he hadn't meant anything bad by that, he felt the blonde stiffening for a moment. "Lucille? Are you scared?" he repeated carefully, gently combing his fingers through his friend's hair.

"I am. To think she sent her pawns to this house… It scares me not to know how far she'll go to break me. And it terrifies me to know that, although I will never let her break me… she can hurt me badly. Both physically and mentally."

It didn't take much thinking to know 'she' was the Queen. It took more thinking, though, to figure out how to respond. In the end, Kohaku just hugged him tightly and whispered some empty reassurances in his ear. After all, there was nothing he could have said, that would be true and reassuring. It helped anyway, which had been the only purpose. Or at least, Kohaku thought it helped. Lucille didn't say anything else, instead he buried his face against the violinist's hair and curled his legs around Kohaku's.

Tenderly, Kohaku kept combing his fingers through the silky blonde hair, his other arm wrapper around the singer's thin waist. Within mere minutes, he felt Lucille's breathing calm down, turning deep and steady. Still, Kohaku kept caressing those smooth blonde strands, not wanting to lose that connection to the singer. For some reason, even though he wanted Lucille to get some rest after this morning, he really wanted to talk with him. Mainly because of that last remark Lucille had made. About how scared he was about his sister trying to break him, and partly succeeding.

If the blonde himself didn't even have full faith in his own strength, then how was Kohaku supposed to be able to stop worrying for even a second? Geez, he didn't even dare to close his eyes now, afraid that something would happen, that the Queen would make another move in trying to break Lucille. A rational part of his mind knew that she wouldn't do that, wouldn't take the risk of shocking the blonde often enough for him to get used to it. But still, the less rational part of his mind refused to relax, convinced that something bad would happen if he didn't pay enough attention.

Damn, he had to get some rest. After all, he couldn't protect Lucille if he didn't recover from that cold soon enough. Pulling the singer as closely against himself as he could, burying his face in that silky blonde hair, Kohaku forced himself to stop thinking about anything but the feeling of Lucille sleeping so closely against him. The fact that the blonde let out a deep sigh and curled up a bit, folding his legs tighter around Kohaku's, did make it easier to concentrate on him. A lot easier. Still, it didn't help much to get him to sleep.

Instead, he'd rather just lay awake, listening to Lucille's soft breaths, feeling the warm gusts of air against his skin and the blonde's chest heaving against his own. Unbelievable that it could feel so good to have someone just breathing in your arms. To feel the warmth of another person's body. To look at that beautiful sleeping face, and being able to caress that silky blonde hair without Lucille even stirring. "I love you so much," Kohaku couldn't help but to whisper. Lucille sighed softly in response, before sleeping on peacefully.

Closing his eyes, he forced himself to concentrate on nothing, despite how he wanted to keep concentrating on Lucille. He'd have more than enough time to be awake with the blonde, right now his body needed to rest. Just when his mind finally started to quiet down, Lucille let out a deep sigh and moved, throwing an arm over Kohaku's body, almost pushing the violinist onto his back. For a moment, Kohaku wondered if it wouldn't make it harder on his lungs, to have the blonde lying half on top of him, but being trapped between Lucille's body and the back of the couch didn't feel so bad. Relaxing again, he finally drifted off to sleep.

Taking a deep breath, Lucille woke up. Mmh, why was the couch so warm? After blinking a few times, he looked around and discovered he was now laying fully on top of Kohaku. For a moment, he almost jumped off him, but the violinist didn't seem to have any discomfort from having Lucille's weight on his body. Which probably meant that he really was almost recovered, otherwise he'd already woken up due to the added difficulty of breathing. Okay, his breath did sound kind of strained, but not so scarily labored as it had. Still, the blonde carefully moved off him.

Feeling that source of heat moving, Kohaku automatically woke up and opened his eyes a bit. "Hey, honey," Lucille said softly, smiling at his friend. "Looks like you're feeling even better than earlier."

"Yeah. Guess so," the violinist mumbled, before turning onto his side and hugging him loosely. "Mmh… Wanna sleep."

"Then go back to sleep. I won't move," Lucille responded amusedly.

Smiling softly, Kohaku suddenly mumbled; "I was dreaming 'bout you."

Feeling strangely flattered, Lucille smiled. "What did you dream?"

Letting out a sigh, the taller man closed his eyes. "We were walking outside in the forest. And there was snow. And you wore that fluffy white vest. And then you started singing, and it started snowing again. And you're so beautiful. I felt really cold before you started singing, but then suddenly not anymore, and… Well, that was all. No real point in it, I guess. But it was a nice dream."

"It'll still be snowing for at least another month. Maybe we could make that dream come true, once we're both up to it," Lucille replied. "And..." Knowing exactly what he wanted to say, but unsure of how to say it, the blonde just kissed his friend. "Thank you for loving me." To his own surprise, he actually felt tears burning behind his eyes. "When you tell me I'm beautiful… You're one of the very few people from who I actually take that as a complement."

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**I'll try to update as soon as I can ^-^**


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